"My Fault as a Father who Failed to Raise His Child Properly" Chang Je-won Steps down from Yoon Seok-youl's Election Campaign

[경향신문]

People Power Party lawmaker Chang Je-won. Yonhap News

On September 28, People Power Party lawmaker Chang Je-won apologized for his son, Chang Yong-jun, also known as the rapper Noel, who assaulted a police officer, and said, “I deeply regret my fault as a father who failed to raise his child properly, and I will take time to reflect on myself.” He also announced that he was stepping down as head of former prosecutor general Yoon Seok-youl’s presidential campaign.

This morning, Chang uploaded a post on social media and wrote, “It was hard to bear it for even a single minute. I am ashamed to face the public and I have no way to express how sorry I am to Yoon Seok-youl. My wife has been staying up all night in tears; my mother is unable to eat properly; and our family is in shambles.”

Chang further said, “I spent sleepless nights due to my position, because I could not determine my future actions without the approval of the candidate,” and added, “I am ashamed and sorry, but I will step down as chief of the election campaign without the candidate’s approval. I believe that my resignation will be better for him.”

Chang continued and said, “I express my deepest gratitude to Yoon, who showed unwavering trust in me, a faulty man,” and said, “I will return to my humble beginning and support Yoon for president.” At the same time, he also said, “Although he is a foolish son who committed a crime, I will also be faithful to my role as a father, something I haven’t been able to do in the past.” Chang went on to say, “I bow my head and apologize once again to the people and to the local residents who supported me.”

Chang’s son, Yong-jun was arrested for assaulting a police officer who tried to test him to see if he was drinking and driving on September 18. At the time, the rapper was driving without a license. In 2019, he received a suspended sentence in court for trying to switch the driver after crashing into a motorcycle while driving under the influence.

When news of his assault of a police officer got out, he came under fierce attack from the public, as hip-hop fans demanded that he be ousted from the hip-hop music scene and a group of college students called for authorities to conduct an investigation with the rapper under arrest. On September 23, a petition titled, “We Want Lawmaker Chang to be Removed from the National Assembly” was posted on the Cheongwadae petition website, and as of this morning more than 150,000 people have signed the petition.