Rapper NO:EL Reflects on Late Politician Father, Vows to Live More Earnestly

▲ NO:EL (Jang Yong-jun), son of the late former lawmaker Jang Je-won, enters the funeral hall at Haeundae Paik Hospital in Haeundae District, Busan, where a memorial altar has been set up for his father, April 2, 2025. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, April 8 (Yonhap) -- Rapper NO:EL (real name Jang Yong-jun), the son of the late former lawmaker Jang Je-won who was found dead on March 31, shared his thoughts on completing the funeral proceedings, saying he had gone through "a time of fear, despair, depression, and sorrow."

In a message posted on his social media account on Monday, NO:EL wrote, "I devoted myself to honoring my father for three days. My heart is filled with complicated emotions, perhaps because I never once got to show him the happy, pure smile of a son who had truly made something of himself."

Reflecting on his past, he admitted, "Looking back, I've made many mistakes in my life. I deeply regret those and will strive to become someone who knows how to give, who takes care of the people dear to him — a responsible person, a provider, and a stronger adult. I believe this moment will be a turning point. From now on, I’ll live with greater intensity."

NO:EL gained public attention after appearing on Mnet's hip-hop audition show High School Rapper and competition series Show Me the Money 6 in 2017. He went on to release four full-length albums as well as several EPs and singles as a rapper.

However, his career was marred by controversy. In 2019, he caused a car accident while driving under the influence, and in 2021, he was involved in another incident where he refused a breathalyzer test and assaulted a police officer.

NO:EL also expressed mixed emotions of guilt and gratitude toward his father’s passing, writing, "I feel like he’s left me with a final lesson — to stay focused, never let my guard down, and live with kindness and integrity, especially for my mother’s sake."

He added, “Thanks to that, I think I’ll now be able to remember him not by the cold figure I saw at the burial, but by the gentle smile in his portrait and the warm memories I have of him.”

NO:EL is scheduled to hold a solo concert on May 31 at the Yes24 Live Hall in Seoul’s Gwangjin District.

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