People Power Party lawmaker Jeong Yeon-wook said on the 25th regarding the discussion about the reinstatement of former youth committee chair Jang Ye-chan, "Immediately stop the reinstatement discussion that has no justification."
Lawmaker Jeong held a press conference that day and said, "I and the residents of Suyeong District cannot contain our anger at the 'trick decision' of People Power Party emergency committee chair Kwon Young-se and acting chair of Busan City Party Jeong Dong-man to 'save Jang Ye-chan.'"
He stated about the former chair, "During last year's general election, he shouted 'putting the party first' but after leaving the party, he instigated the party's disbandment by becoming the president's first assistant," adding, "Moreover, he was sentenced to a fine of 1.5 million won just months after being convicted of false academic qualifications and distortion of public opinion polls during the general election."
He continued, "Nevertheless, the People Power Party has become a party with a 'double standard' that turns a blind eye to internal crimes while vehemently criticizing Lee Jae-myung's allegations of falsehoods, and to speak of electoral victory while breaking the principles of fairness and common sense is absurd."
Lawmaker Jeong said, "In the lead-up to the early election triggered by the martial law situation, tolerating the 'maniacal behavior' of former chair Jang Ye-chan, who only attacks specific party insiders like a stalker from outside the party, and the behavior of the party leadership that opened the door to reinstatement is nothing but division, not inclusion for the election." He also stated, "Kwon Young-se's emergency committee must face the urgent sentiment of the public, and Jeong Dong-man, the acting chair of Busan City Party, should take responsibility for this situation and resign immediately for being blindly led by the leadership's orders."
Former chair Jang was fined 1.5 million won in the first trial in February for violating the Public Official Election Act.
The court determined that although former chair Jang registered as having "dropped out of the Bachelor's degree program at the Maastricht Conservatory of Music in the Netherlands (Sept. 2008 - Aug. 2009)" in the education section during candidate registration, in reality, he attended and dropped out from the Department of Music at the 'Hogeschool Zuyd.' The court also recognized that former chair Jang sent distorted promotional materials regarding the public opinion poll results via social media (SNS) and text messages to voters in Suyeong District on April 8 of last year, just before the election. Former chair Jang has filed an appeal.