Kim Jae-seop to Appear at Police on First Day of National Assembly Audit Over Jeong Won-oh's Alleged Cancún Trip

[Financial News] Kim Jae-seop, a People Power Party lawmaker who raised allegations concerning former Seoul mayoral candidate Jeong Won-oh's alleged business trip to Cancún, Mexico, during his tenure as head of Seongdong District Office, will appear at the police on the first day of the National Assembly audit ahead of the June 3 local elections.
According to police sources on the 5th, the Public Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Metropolitan Investigation Division plans to summon Kim at 10 a.m. on the 6th for questioning as a suspect on charges including publishing false information and defaming a candidate under the Public Official Election Act, as well as defamation under the Information and Communications Network Act.
At a National Assembly press conference on March 31, Kim alleged that Jeong had traveled to Cancún, Mexico, with a civil servant identified by the surname Im while serving as head of Seongdong District Office. He also claimed that the female official's gender had been manipulated and entered as "male" in the business-trip review and approval document. Kim further alleged that Im received preferential treatment in personnel matters during the re-hiring process after the trip.
Jeong's side countered that Im was responsible for overseas affairs and that Cancún was a stopover rather than the destination of the business trip. It also said the gender entry was simply a clerical error by the district office.
At the time, Jeong's side filed a complaint against Kim for allegedly publishing false information with the intent of causing his defeat, while Im also sued Kim and others who raised the allegations for defamation.
Police also plan to examine other allegations that Kim made against Jeong.
On May 13, in connection with Jeong's 1995 assault case, Kim claimed that "at a drinking gathering, he forced a café owner to spend the night with a female employee, threatened the owner after the owner refused, and then assaulted a citizen and a police officer who arrived at the scene."
On the 28th of the same month, Kim posted on social media that Jeong's side had described the collapse of the Seosomun overpass as "a boon." Complaints alleging violations of the Public Official Election Act and other offenses were also filed over these remarks and the post.
[email protected] Choi Seung-han Reporter