A Seoul court has granted an injunction suspending Chang Ho-kwon, the chair of a state-funded association of national independence fighters and their descendants, over alleged irregularities in the group's latest chairman election.

Chang, the eldest son of the late independence activist Chang Jun-ha, won the by-election in late May to lead the Heritage of Korean Independence (HKI), defeating Kim Jin, the eldest grandson of another national independence hero, Kim Gu.

Members of HKI later accused Chang of promising official seats to some voters in return for support for his chairman bid, and filed an injunction in June and a separate lawsuit in July seeking his suspension.

The members also alleged that Chang falsely identified himself as a sitting professor of Hanshin University at the time of the election although he quit the post last year.

The Seoul Southern District Court recognized both of the allegations as it delivered a decision Friday to suspend Chang from the chairmanship until a ruling on the main lawsuit, legal sources said.

The court ordered the runner-up, Kim Jin, to act as HKI's chairman while Chang remains out of office. (Yonhap)