SEOUL, March 15 (Yonhap) — A truck driver in his 40s has been booked for investigation on charges of driving recklessly toward a police van escorting opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, police said Friday.
The man is accused of engaging in menacing acts with his 1-ton truck, such as repeated honking and cutting into the lane, against a van carrying a team of police bodyguards for Lee on a road in Incheon, west of Seoul, on the evening of Feb. 20.
The police team was escorting Lee, chair of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), on his way back home in Incheon following his attendance at an event in Seoul.
The Gyeyang Police Station in Incheon recently booked the truck driver for investigation on charges of reckless driving, police officials said.
During a prior investigation, the driver told police that he, after witnessing a procession of bodyguard vehicles, had wanted to check if they were real. He was quoted as saying that “I did not know Chairman Lee was involved.”
Police also said the truck’s exterior was painted with messages criticizing the government and the DP.
Police currently provide bodyguard services to protect the leaders of major political parties after Lee sustained a stab wound from an attacker posing as a supporter during his visit to the southeastern port city of Busan in January.
Democratic Party Chair Lee Jae-myung (C) poses for supporters at a traditional market in the southeastern city of Ulsan on March 15, 2024. (Yonhap)
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