Jang Kyungtae Voluntarily Leaves Democratic Party... "I Will Prove My Innocence and Return"

"No Opportunity for Unrest Ahead of Local Elections"

Jang Kyungtae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea who is under investigation for an alleged sexual harassment case, decided to voluntarily leave the party on March 20, 2026.

On the same day, through his social networking service (SNS) account, Assemblyman Jang stated, "I will prove my innocence and return so as not to bring harm to the party," and added, "I will make sure the false accusation is revealed."

He also remarked, "Ahead of the local elections, it is important not to give any pretext for insurgent forces to stir," emphasizing, "Above all, the party's victory must not be shaken even in the slightest."

Jung Kyungtae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, is answering reporters' questions on the 19th before the investigation review committee related to the sexual harassment allegation case held at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

He expressed his frustration as well. Assemblyman Jang said, "I faithfully went through the police investigation procedures, including questioning and the investigation review committee," and continued, "Although the evidence to determine guilt is unclear, the review committee was swayed by the investigation team's opinion, which led to a recommendation to refer the case for prosecution."

Assemblyman Jang is under police investigation on suspicion of sexually harassing a female aide at a restaurant in Yeouido, Seoul, in October 2024. He is also accused of secondary victimization by exposing the identity of the victim. Initially, the Democratic Party's Ethics Tribunal planned to review disciplinary action against Assemblyman Jang at a meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. next month.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.