Prosecutors have been hesitating for five days in a request for an arrest warrant for rapper Jang Yong-jun (21, stage name Noel), who refused to take a breathalyzer test and assaulted a police officer.
On the 1st, the Seocho Police Station in Seoul applied for a preliminary arrest warrant for Jang to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office on charges such as refusal to take a breathalyzer test under the Road Traffic Act, driving without a license, car damage, injury, and obstruction of the execution of official duties. An official from the prosecution said on the 5th, “We are coordinating with the suspect’s lawyer the schedule for a pre-arrest interview to request an arrest warrant.”
Jang Je-won, son of People’s Strength lawmaker Jang Je-won, had an accident while driving a Mercedes-Benz car at the intersection of St. Mary’s Hospital in Banpo-dong, Seocho-gu, on the 18th of last month. He disobeyed a police officer’s request for a breathalyzer test, hit the officer’s head and was arrested as a current offender. The police called Jang to investigate on the 30th of last month, 13 days after the first investigation was completed. The police also secured a CCTV footage of Jang drinking alcohol on the day of the accident and investigated the suspicion of drunk driving, but the charge was not added when the warrant was applied.
Some people suspect that the initial investigation by the police was ineffective. At the time of the first investigation, the police confirmed Jang’s identity and history of drunk driving, but did not proceed with the blood sampling procedure to confirm whether he was drunk. On that day, Jang was asked to return home after completing a brief investigation because he was intoxicated. A police official said, “The allegation must be clear, and the basic principle of an investigation is an investigation without detention.”
In September 2019, Jang was sentenced to 1 year and 6 months in prison and 2 years of probation after driving under the influence of alcohol near Mapo-gu, Seoul. If Jang is sentenced to imprisonment or heavier punishment before the end of the probation period on June 22, 2022, the suspension of execution will become invalid.
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