The high school son of a lawmaker has pulled out of a rap auditioning show after being accused of attempting to solicit sex for money, a local cable channel said Monday.

Chang Yong-jun -- son of Rep. Chang Je-won of the Bareun Party -- recently told producers of “High School Rapper” that he wants to leave the show, which aired its first episode on Friday, according to Mnet.

All remaining footage of Chang will be edited out of the show, producers added. 

It was recently revealed that Chang, 16, had left a message on a social media service proposing to pay for sex with another minor. Anonymous sources also alleged that he smoked and drank alcohol, with a photo of him holding a glass of soju.

Mnet released a message from Chang in which he apologized for “hurting friends and parents with my immature behavior,” saying that going through puberty prompted him to utter wrongful words.

Chang, however, denied allegations of prostitution, saying that the SNS messages were posted out of curiosity.

As the scandal came to light, Rep. Chang resigned from his post as the Bareun Party spokesperson and chairman of the Busan city committee.

During the show’s official launch last Friday, chief producer Go Ik-jo had assured reporters that the producers concluded that there was nothing wrong with any of the participants, character-wise.

However, Mnet officials said Monday that it is now looking into allegations questioning the character of other show participants that have recently surfaced.



By Yoon Min-sik
(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)