Singer Tae-yi directly clarified the controversy regarding his defense of the late former People Power Party (PPP) lawmaker Jang Jae-won, who died while under investigation for sexual violence allegations.
On the opening of MBC FM4U's "Good Morning FM Tae-yi" broadcast on the 2nd, Tae-yi stated, "There's an article about something I mentioned yesterday, and I feel like I need to speak up." He continued, "It's not that I talked about someone's death out of sorrow; it was unfortunate that one side's announcement (which was planned) ended up concluding in such circumstances for the truth of the situation."
"It happened while moderating the words within me. The situation that resulted was unfortunate. While reading the article, you might feel angry, but that was not my intention," he added.
While hosting MBC FM4U's "Good Morning FM Tae-yi" on the morning of the 1st, Tae-yi reported key news stories through the daily segment "Today's Keyword News." During this, the news of former lawmaker Jang Jae-won's death was mentioned, and Tae-yi expressed his personal thought, saying, "It's unfortunate."
Some listeners pointed out Tae-yi's remarks. The late former lawmaker Jang Jae-won was under police investigation for allegedly sexually assaulting his secretary A while serving as the vice president of a university in Busan in 2015. A claimed that after drinking at an after-party, Jang sexually assaulted her, while Jang has denied all allegations. In response, A's side argued that they submitted evidence, including video footage, to the police to prove the sexual violence allegations and were scheduled to hold a press conference starting at 10 a.m. on the 1st to explain the circumstances of the complaint.
However, former lawmaker Jang Jae-won was found dead around 11:40 p.m. on March 31 in an officetel in Gangdong District, Seoul. Police determined that there was no evidence of foul play, and it was reported that a suicide note directed to family members was also found at the scene.
With the individual's death, the police investigation into the sexual assault allegations is expected to conclude as "no prosecution rights exist." Consequently, A's side also canceled the scheduled press conference.
In this context, regarding Tae-yi's statement that it was "unfortunate" about Jang Jae-won's death, some listeners reacted by saying, "How can it be unfortunate for someone who has troubled so many people?" and "It's something to be angry about since the person who committed a crime ran away from paying the price for their actions," and, "We should feel for the victim who suffered for over a decade." On the other hand, other listeners defended Tae-yi, saying, "Saying it's unfortunate implies that it's regrettable that he passed away without facing consequences."
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