Hong Jun-pyo "Live with the courage to die"... Presumed post mentioning Jang Je-won's death

"I Pray That You Lay Everything Down and Find Peace"

Hong Joon-pyo, Mayor of Daegu. Provided by Daegu City

Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo expressed his condolences in a post that seemed to refer to former People Power Party lawmaker Jang Je-won, who was found dead after being investigated by the police on charges of sexual assault, saying, "I pray that you now lay everything down and find peace in another world."

On the 1st, Mayor Hong said on his Facebook, "If you had the courage to die, you could have had the courage to live, but was it so difficult to endure humiliation and disgrace?" He continued, "God does not give humans trials they cannot bear," and added, "I pray that you now lay everything down and find peace in another world."

Although Mayor Hong did not directly mention former lawmaker Jang, he posted this message and paid tribute after news of his death was reported that morning. The deceased had previously worked closely with Mayor Hong as the chief spokesperson under the leadership of Hong Joon-pyo during the early days of the Liberty Korea Party administration.

Earlier, former lawmaker Jang was found dead on the 31st of last month at a location in Gangdong-gu, Seoul. According to the police, there were no signs of any criminal offenses, and a suicide note was found at the scene. The note reportedly contained messages such as "I love you" and "Thank you." The funeral will be held at Baek Hospital in Busan.

Former People Power Party lawmaker Jang Je-won. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

On the morning of the 1st, former lawmaker and People Power Party Gangseo-eul district committee chairman Kim Sung-tae met with reporters at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, where the deceased's body was moved, and said, "(Former lawmaker Jang) seemed to have arranged his personal affairs around the evening before," adding, "It doesn't seem like he met anyone in particular." He continued, "The suicide note is with his wife, and from what I heard this morning, it mainly contains messages to family members or some acquaintances." When asked if the note included anything about the accuser, he replied, "I don't think so. I'm not sure."

Jang, who served as a member of the National Assembly in the 18th, 20th, and 21st sessions, was considered a key figure in the pro-Yoon (pro-Yoon Seok-yeol) faction, having served as chief of staff during President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol's transition period. In November 2015, while serving as vice president of Busan Digital University, Jang was under investigation after being accused of sexual violence (quasi-rape causing injury) against secretary A. The former lawmaker's side had consistently denied the sexual assault allegations made by A and reportedly denied all charges during a police summons on the 28th of last month. However, earlier last month, Jang left the party, stating, "I will temporarily leave the party to avoid burdening it with an unfortunate issue during these serious times."

In response, A's side released a video through a media outlet, presumed to have been filmed in a hotel room in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, at the time of the incident. The evidence also included details that A, who was intoxicated, collected evidence at the Sunflower Center immediately after recognizing the sexual assault and requested an analysis from the National Forensic Service. Due to the death of the involved party, the investigation is expected to be closed with a "no prosecution" decision.