[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] Rapper Jang Yongjun (22, stage name Noel), who was prosecuted for refusing a breathalyzer test and assaulting a police officer, was sentenced to imprisonment in the first trial. Jang is the son of Jang Je-won, the chief secretary to the president-elect.
On the 8th at 2 p.m., Judge Shin Hyukjae of the Criminal Division 4 at the Seoul Central District Court sentenced Jang, who was charged with violating the Road Traffic Act (driving without a license) and other charges, to one year in prison.
Judge Shin stated, "The defendant committed the crime of refusing a breathalyzer test and assault during the probation period despite having received a suspended sentence for previous crimes including drunk driving. Therefore, the culpability is serious, making a prison sentence unavoidable."
He added, "However, considering that the defendant admitted some of the crimes and his faults, waived the substantive hearing for the arrest warrant, and spent a considerable period in detention, as well as his efforts to compensate the victims, these factors were taken into account."
While Judge Shin recognized most of the charges against Jang, including assault and refusal of the breathalyzer test, he acquitted him of the charge of injuring a police officer. The injuries sustained by the officer at the time did not require medical treatment and were at a level that could heal naturally, so there was no proof of a crime in this regard.
Earlier, on September 18 last year, around 10:30 p.m., Jang was caught in the act after refusing a breathalyzer test and assaulting a police officer following a minor collision with another vehicle while driving a Mercedes-Benz at an intersection in Seocho-gu, Seoul.
Videos released during the trial showed Jang using abusive language such as "Get out of the way, you XX," engaging in a physical struggle with responding officers, and staggering on the road to avoid getting into the patrol car. The police handcuffed Jang, grabbed both his arms, and put him into the vehicle. There was also footage of Jang assaulting a police officer while inside the car.
During the final prosecution hearing, the prosecutor requested a three-year prison sentence for Jang, stating, "The defendant reoffended during the probation period for drunk driving and other offenses."
On the other hand, Jang’s defense lawyer acknowledged the facts but argued, "(The obstruction of official duties) occurred in an extremely brief moment of about one second, making it minor and difficult to consider it as assault. The defendant personally apologized to the injured officers immediately after the incident," appealing for leniency.
Jang himself made a final statement, saying, "I am very ashamed and sorry. I have deeply reflected on my mistakes while in detention. I will never repeat such actions in the future." He added, "I grew up with trauma, feeling criticism and finger-pointing toward my father physically from an early age. Even after starting my music career, my identity was exposed, which naturally led me to rely on alcohol, and when I drank, I tended to become violent."
Jang was previously prosecuted in 2019 for driving under the influence and colliding with a motorcycle in Mapo-gu, Seoul, and was sentenced in June 2020 to one year and six months in prison with a two-year probation period.
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