Singer and musical actor Tei has clarified his recent comment about the death of former lawmaker Jang Je Won, denying accusations that he defended the late politician amid ongoing sexual assault allegations.

During the April 1st KST broadcast of MBC FM4U’s ‘Good Morning FM with Tei’, Tei briefly mentioned Jang’s passing, saying “It’s unfortunate,” which sparked backlash from some listeners. Critics pointed out that Jang had died while under police investigation for aggravated quasi-rape, arguing that it was “not an unfortunate event” and that “the real victim’s suffering is being overlooked.”

The following day, on the April 2nd broadcast, Tei addressed the controversy. He explained, “I didn’t mean to say someone’s death itself was unfortunate. What I meant was that it’s unfortunate things ended this way when one side was about to speak the truth.” He added that he had initially felt negative emotions but tried to “neutralize” them with more measured words.

Tei continued, “I understand there are still people angry with me today, and I get it. If you just read the headline, of course you’d be upset. But that wasn’t my intention,” offering a sincere apology to listeners.

Meanwhile, Jang Je Won, who served as vice president of a university in Busan, was under investigation for allegedly sexually assaulting his secretary in 2015. He was found dead on March 31st in an officetel in Gangdong-gu, Seoul.

The alleged victim’s lawyer, Kim Jae Ryun of Law Firm Onsesang, had scheduled a press conference for the morning of April 1st to reveal details of the case but canceled the event following the news of Jang’s death.

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