Even DJs Bowed Their Heads Because of Their Sons... The 'Child Risk' That Makes Politicians Tremble

Jang Je-won Faces Crisis Over Son's Repeated Scandals
"Father Should Take Responsibility and Lose Assembly Seat," Petition to Blue House
Politicians' 'Children Risks' Are Not New
Veteran Politicians Like Chung Mong-joon, Kim Dae-jung Also Embarrassed
Experts Say "Children's Misconduct Can Spark Major Controversy in Politics"

Jang Je-won, a member of the People Power Party, recently apologized for the controversy surrounding his son, Jang Yong-jun, who has been embroiled in scandals involving crimes such as drunk driving and assaulting police officers. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Ju-hyung] Recently, rapper Jang Yong-jun (21, stage name Noel), the son of People Power Party lawmaker Jang Je-won, has been embroiled in controversy over drunk driving and assaulting a police officer, leading to growing calls for his father, lawmaker Jang, to be held accountable. Some citizens have even urged the Blue House's national petition board to strip Jang of his parliamentary seat.

In politics, so-called 'child risks' arising from the misconduct or corruption of politicians' children are nothing new. Even former President Kim Dae-jung had to issue a public apology due to successive corruption allegations involving his sons. Experts predict that, given the family-centered culture still prevalent in Korean society, voters may react sensitively to politicians' children-related issues.

◆Jang Je-won Faces Trouble Due to Son's Misconduct

On the evening of the 18th, around 10:30 PM, Jang was driving a Mercedes-Benz in Banpo-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, when he caused a collision with another vehicle. When police officers who arrived at the scene requested a breathalyzer test and identification, Jang refused and headbutted a police officer. As a result, he was arrested on the spot.

Jang had already been indicted for a previous drunk driving accident and the so-called 'driver swap' and was sentenced in June last year to 1 year and 6 months in prison with a 2-year probation. The repeated 'deviations' such as drunk driving and assaulting police officers have sparked public outrage that has extended to Jang's father, lawmaker Jang.

Students from the Korean University Students Progressive Union held a picketing near Seocho Police Station in Seoul on the afternoon of the 25th, demanding the arrest of Jang Yong-jun, son of Assemblyman Jang from the People Power Party. / Photo by Yonhap News

On the 26th, in an interview with 'Yonhap News,' lawmaker Jang expressed, "I cannot contain my devastated feelings" regarding his son's criminal acts and emphasized, "I hope my son's wrongdoing will be dealt with swiftly according to law and principles without any special consideration."

However, some citizens' backlash against the Jang father and son has not subsided. Recently, a petition titled "We want the parliamentary seat of Jang Je-won, father of Jang Yong-jun, to be revoked" was posted on the national petition board, garnering over 120,000 signatures as of the 27th.

Meanwhile, on the 28th, lawmaker Jang announced on his Facebook page that he would step down from his position as the chief of the Yoon Seok-youl former Prosecutor General's campaign headquarters. He said, "I have no face to show the public and feel deeply sorry to candidate Yoon Seok-youl. Ultimately, I am stepping down without the candidate's approval." Jang added, "I judged that stepping down would be more helpful to the candidate," and expressed deep gratitude to Yoon for his unwavering trust despite his shortcomings. He also stated, "Now, I will deeply reflect on the sins of a father who raised his child poorly and take time for self-reflection. Although my son has committed wrongdoings, I will fulfill the role of a father that I have not been able to perform until now."

◆Veteran Politicians Also Not Immune to 'Child Risks'

Politicians facing difficulties due to their children's issues is not a recent phenomenon. Even seasoned veteran politicians have faced life-defining crises due to 'child risks.'

The most representative case was in the 2014 local elections when Jeong Mong-jun, a Saenuri Party (predecessor of the People Power Party) candidate who ran against then Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, faced controversy.

Jeong's youngest son, Jeong Mo (then 18), sparked controversy by posting a Facebook message that appeared to disparage the families of the Sewol ferry disaster victims.

Jeong Mo criticized the way the Sewol victims' families treated former President Park Geun-hye, stating, "The national sentiment itself is very uncivilized, but expecting the president to be a divine figure who fulfills all the 'needs' of the people is absurd. The nation is formed by the people, but since the people are uncivilized, isn't the nation uncivilized as well?"

At the '2014 Nationwide Local Elections Saenuri Party Seoul Mayoral Candidate Selection Meeting' held at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Songpa-gu, Seoul in 2014, Saenuri Party (predecessor of the People Power Party) candidate Chung Mong-joon shed tears while asking the public for forgiveness / Photo by YTN YouTube capture

The so-called 'Sewol uncivilized remarks' by Jeong's son were fatal to Jeong, who had about two months left before the vote. Jeong issued a lengthy statement apologizing and effectively made a public apology during his acceptance speech as the Saenuri Party's mayoral candidate. Standing before cameras, Jeong tearfully said, "I sincerely apologize for my son's thoughtless behavior." Despite these efforts, Jeong lost the election to former Mayor Park.

Former President Kim also had to bow his head in 2002 when his sons were all arrested in connection with power-related corruption scandals known as the 'Three Hong Corruption Cases.'

The late former President Kim Dae-jung withdrew from the Millennium Democratic Party, to which he belonged, due to the so-called '3 Hong Scandals,' in which all his sons were implicated in power-related corruption allegations, and issued a public apology. / Photo by Yonhap News

At that time, former President Kim resigned from the Millennium Democratic Party and issued a public statement. He said, "I failed to keep my promise to the people. Over the past few months, I have deeply felt the responsibility for not properly taking care of my children," and expressed, "I have lived with a sense of shame and apology for causing emotional wounds to the people."

He also emphasized, "My children will be strictly punished according to the law," and added, "I have carefully considered my conduct. I will leave my children's issues to the law and focus on state affairs to fulfill all my duties for the country and the people."

◆"In Family-Centered Korea, Child Risks Can Spark Major Controversies"

Experts believe that due to the patriarchal culture in Korean society, voters may react more sensitively to politicians' children-related issues.

Political commentator Lee Jong-hoon said, "Although full-blown deviations like in the case of lawmaker Jang Je-won's son are rare, there have been many cases in Korean politics where politicians faced difficulties due to their children's corruption, sexual harassment, and other crimes. While the behavior of minor children can be seen as partly the parents' direct responsibility, there remains debate about how much responsibility parents should bear for adult children who are already independent members of society."

He added, "Child risks in Korean politics indeed generate significant public attention. Since Korean society still retains patriarchal and family-centered cultural traits, politicians' children-related issues can escalate into major controversies."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.