Yeouido Institute Vice President Jang Ye-chan stepped down on the 26th after being fined 1.5 million won for allegedly distorting polling results during the 22nd general election.
The People Power Party said in a notice that afternoon, "As Vice President Jang expressed his intention to resign for personal reasons, the Yeouido Institute has accepted it."
Vice President Jang also signaled his resignation on Facebook the same day, immediately after the remand trial ruling. Jang said, "If I were to air my grievances, there would be no end, but respecting the judiciary is the attitude a politician should show," adding, "I will step away from the central political stage for a while, but I will devote myself to the party and conservatism through various activities, including broadcasting."
Vice President Jang is accused of distorting and publishing the results of a poll for the Busan Suyeong District election in April 2024. In the poll at the time, in response to the question "Who do you think will be elected?", People Power Party candidate Jeong Yeon-uk received 33.8%, Democratic Party of Korea candidate Ryu Dong-cheol 33.5%, and independent candidate Jang Ye-chan 27.2%.
However, Vice President Jang was found to have promoted himself as "No. 1 in electability polling" by citing a response that "85.7% of his own supporters would vote for him." Jang is also accused of publishing false information by listing his education as a bachelor's program during candidate registration, even though he dropped out of a music college in the Netherlands.