Former member of the ruling party in South Korea, Zhang Jiyu

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According to a report by Yonhap News Agency on April 1st, local time, the South Korean police announced that former member of the ruling National Power Party, Jang Ji won, was found dead in a commercial and residential building in Gangdong gu, Seoul at around 11:40 pm on March 31st. The police found a suicide note suspected to have been left by Zhang Jiyuan at the scene, but no traces of homicide were found. Currently, they are investigating the specific cause of death and the truth behind the incident. ​

Zhang Jiyuan served as a member of the 18th, 20th, and 21st National Assembly, and served as the Secretary General during the election of Yoon Suk yeol as the President elect. He is recognized as a core member of the "pro Yoon faction". Recently, Zhang Jiyuan was accused of sexually assaulting Secretary A while serving as the vice president of a university in Busan in November 2015, and the police have launched an investigation into this matter. ​

On March 28th, Zhang Jiyuan denied all allegations when questioned by the police. However, on March 31st, A submitted relevant evidence to the police and publicly released the video of the incident. The original plan was for A to hold a press conference at 10 am on April 1st to provide a detailed account of the incident. But due to the death of Zhang Jiyuan, the relevant press conference has been cancelled. ​

Due to the death of the person involved, according to South Korean judicial procedures, the police are likely to close this sexual assault case with "no right to prosecute". At present, various sectors of South Korean society are highly concerned about this incident, and further developments need to be investigated and disclosed by the police.