Representative Jang Je-won has come under fire after reports of his son Noel's drunk driving accident was made public. As a result, public calls for his resignation are growing.
The issue began during the confirmation hearings of current Justice Minister Cho Kuk (then nominee). During the hearings, allegations broke that Cho Kuk's daughter had falsified her extra-curricular activities and received a fake award. Cho Kuk's son had also reportedly faked his internship from Seoul University, and his wife was caught investing a large amount of money in a a private equity fund suspected of dubious operations. These allegations became relevant suspicions during the hearing as Cho Kuk was a professor at Seoul University. As such, he would've had the opportunity to influence the allegations against his son, daughter, and wife, who was undergoing prosecution.
When a congressman from the opposite party called out Jang Je-won during the hearing, he got angry and snapped on Cho Kuk several times and questioned his ability to control the Ministry of Justice when he can't even control his own family. Jang Je Won stated, "Can you be the Minister of Justice when your own wife is being prosecuted? Take responsibility and step down. You need to resign from the candidacy."
 |
| Confirmation hearing for Minister of Justice. Jang Je-won (left) and Cho Kuk, then nominee (right) |
Netizens thought the whole issue was so laughable especially because he had been so vocal about Cho Kuk's controversy during the confirmation hearing. Many stated, "he's such a hypocrite. He was so loud about Cho Kuk and his family but he can't take care of his home either. His son raised with a golden spoon, has been accused of prostitution and now drunk driving with a 300 million won foreign car and offering bribes. He needs to take responsibility and resign from public office."
The issue got even bigger on the 11th as Noel admitted to arranging to switch drivers with his close friend. According to their lawyer, "Noel settled with the DUI victim for 35 million won (~$29,000) but Jang Je-won was in no way involved in getting the victim to settle." Jang Je-won also stated on Facebook on the 11th that "he will be pursuing strong legal action against illegal police leaks, false reports, and malicious rumors." Despite Noel's settlement with the victim, the public's anger is still high.
This whole issue is really big in Korea right now. Koreans have filed a petition with the Blue House asking for a special investigation into the Minister of Justice Cho Kuk for tax evasion and the alleged controversy of preferential admission of his children. Link to the petition here.
Please note: This article was sourced from multiple articles and netizen reactions on the issue that were previously translated and sourced on the blog. Additional source Sports Chosun.