Lawmaker Apologises For 'zooming' While Driving

Federation of Trade Unions lawmaker Kwok Wai-keung said on Friday he will be happy to cooperate with any possible investigation against him, a day after he was caught driving while using the video conferencing software Zoom to attend an online Legco meeting.

Kwok apologised for his actions, and said he will "deeply reflect" on his driving attitude and strictly abide by the rules from now on.

The FTU legislator used a photo of the Legco complex as his virtual background for the Zoom session, but it soon became apparent that Kwok was driving around at the same time – as he was obviously wearing a seatbelt and was often looking around, while an ornament hanging off his rear-view mirror occasionally pierced through the virtual background.

Some people speculated that Kwok may have committed the offence of careless driving, which is punishable by a prison term of six months and a maximum fine of HK$5,000.

In a social media post on Thursday, Kwok admitted to driving while on Zoom. But he told people not to worry, saying he had found a suitable parking spot as soon as he could, so he could continue attending the meeting.

He also tried to make light of the situation, saying he had been running around to serve his community and the hearing in his car has turned the vehicle into a makeshift shelter from the recent cold snap.

He also ended his post by calling on the public to pay attention to road safety.

Some left critical comments on the post, saying the lawmaker should turn himself in. But others were more supportive, saying it just showed how hard working Kwok was to attend meetings while he was driving, and questioned why this should be considered a crime.