Former Youth Foundation Chairman Jang Ye-chan was sentenced to a fine in the first trial for false academic background and distortion of public opinion polling. Jang ran as a candidate for the ruling People Power Party in the Busan Suyeong-gu electoral district during the 22nd National Assembly elections but had his nomination revoked due to 'controversial remarks' and subsequently ran as an independent candidate, but was defeated.
According to the legal community on the 9th, the Busan District Court Eastern Branch’s Criminal Division 2 (Director General Park Joo-young) sentenced the former chairman, who was indicted in February for violating the Public Official Election Act, to a fine of 1.5 million won.
Former Chairman Jang indicated in his candidate registration for the National Assembly elections that he had 'withdrawn from the Bachelor's degree program at Maastricht Conservatory in the Netherlands (Sept. 2008 - Aug. 2009).' Jang argued that since the music department at Jui University of Applied Sciences has traditionally been referred to as 'Maastricht Conservatory' and that he had registered with a certified translation, it was not a false declaration.
The court found that Jang had attended and withdrawn from the music department affiliated with 'Jui University of Applied Sciences.' While it is true that Jui University of Applied Sciences is located in the Maastricht area, it is not affiliated with Maastricht University. The court noted, 'Not only did they omit the official university name, but they also represented the college as if it were an independent university, which could lead voters to be misled.'
It was also acknowledged that Jang sent distorted promotional materials to voters in Suyeong-gu via social media (SNS) and text messages on April 8 last year, during the end of the National Assembly elections.
At that time, the opinion poll results showed People Power Party's Jeong Yeon-wook at 33.8%, Democratic Party's Yoo Dong-cheol at 33.5%, and independent candidate Jang Ye-chan at 27.2%. Jang cited the figure of 86.7% from respondents who supported him, asking about the 'likelihood of the candidate's election,' promoting it as 'Jang Ye-chan ranked first in the likelihood of election opinion poll.'
The court stated, 'It is acknowledged that it was noted at the bottom of the promotional material as 'Likelihood of support group candidates' election,' but considering the location and size of the text, it seems voters would not have easily recognized this phrase.' It further commented, 'Distortion referred to in the Public Official Election Act does not necessarily mean there are objectively false facts, but it refers to misleading fair judgment by hiding some facts, embellishing, exaggerating, or glossing over certain facts.'
Jang is in the process of appealing. If a fine of over 1 million won for violating the Public Official Election Act is confirmed, his eligibility to run for office will be restricted for five years.