Chang Je-won

Chang Je-won (, 13 April 1967 – 31 March 2025) was a South Korean educator and conservative politician from the People Power Party (PPP). He served as a Member of the National Assembly for Sasang District for two terms, from 2008 to 2012 and again from 2016 to 2024.

Early life and family background Chang was born in Dongnae District, Busan, South Korea on 13 April 1967. His father, Jang Seong-man (1932–2015), was a pastor, educator who was the former chancellor of Dongseo University and also a politician serving as an MP of Democratic Justice Party, the predecessor of LKP, from 1981 to 1988 and was also the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly from 1987 to 1988. His mother, Park Dong-soon (1939–), is an educator and the former president and the incumbent chancellor of Dongseo University. During this time, the ruling Saenuri Party underwent some conflicts in preselection, as the main opposition Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) selected Moon Jae-in, one of the potential presidential candidates at that time, for Sasang District.

Chang returned as an MP after the 2016 election. Originally, he intended to run under the Saenuri banner. After Son was re-selected, Chang left the party and won as a nonpartisan candidate. He then returned to the party on 21 June.

During the political scandal in the late 2016, Chang was one of hearing members from the Saenuri Party (LKP since February 2017) along with Kwon Seong-dong and Hwang Young-cheul. He then left the party with another 30 MPs and formed the Bareun Party. Nevertheless, prior to the presidential election in May 2017, he returned to the LKP and endorsed its presidential candidate, Hong Joon-pyo.

On 22 March 2018, Chang provoked a controversy when he called the police "government's hounds infected with rabies" after they launched an investigation related to Kim Ki-hyun, the then Mayor of Ulsan, who was also a member of the LKP. He also asked to "hit the mad dogs".

Personal life Chang also faced criticisms regarding his son, Chang Yong-joon (NO:EL), who was a contestant on the show High School Rapper. On 10 February 2017, NO:EL faced accusations of attempting to solicit prostitution via a Twitter account which he later confirmed did belong to him. It was also reported that his son was consuming cigarettes and alcohol underage. The police reported that NO:EL was driving while intoxicated with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08%, a high enough level to lead to driving licence revocation.

Sexual assault allegations In 2025, Chang was accused of sexually assaulting his secretary in November 2015 when he was a university vice president in Busan. On 5 March, he announced his temporary resignation from the PPP while denying the accusation.

Death On 31 March 2025, Chang was found dead in his office in Gangdong District, Seoul, with police saying that a note was discovered at the scene. He was 57. The discovery came on the same day that his former secretary submitted evidence to police regarding her sexual assault complaint against Chang, which was automatically closed on account of his death.

Election results Year Elections Constituency Political party Votes (%) Remarks 2008 18th National Assembly General Election Sasang (Busan) GNP 35,309 (45.48%) Won 2016 20th National Assembly General Election Sasang (Busan) Independent 42,924 (37.50%) Won 2020 21st National Assembly General Election Sasang (Busan) UFP 66,353 (52.03%) Won