Main opposition leader apologizes for two ex
Kim Chong-in made the public apology during a press conference at the National Assembly, holding the party accountable for failing to keep the convicted former Presidents Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak in check.
"Two former presidents of South Korea are simultaneously in a state of imprisonment," Kim said. "I am here to give an earnest apology to the people with regard to this issue."
The PPP leader added, "Any wrongdoing by a president constitutes wrongdoing by the ruling party.
"Our party could not fully accomplish its duty, as the then ruling party, to lead the country in the right direction, and committed the grave mistake of failing to detect and prevent problems by the reigning power," Kim said. "I bow deeply and give my apologies for the disappointment you may have felt."
Taking office as the caretaker leader of the PPP following its crushing parliamentary election defeat in April, Kim has been seeking to recover public trust in the party and lure back voters.
The conservative party saw its supporters, especially young or moderate voters, abandon the party after the two former presidents were convicted of corruption.
In her fourth year as president in 2017, Park became the first South Korean president to be ousted over a far-reaching corruption and influence-peddling scandal. She is currently serving a 20-year prison term delivered by an appellate court in July.
Lee, Park's predecessor, is also serving a 17-year prison term, after being convicted of corruption.
The incumbent PPP leader also took aim at President Moon Jae-in's liberal administration, saying, "I also feel responsible for the current state of politics, where democracy and the rule of law regressed."
He also pledged efforts to reform the party and reshuffle party personnel so that it "could be born again."
Kim's remarks mark the first official apology made by a leader of the biggest conservative party for the two former convicted presidents, as it is seeking to regain power in the upcoming presidential election slated for March 2022.
His apology, however, created a split within the PPP, with some party members openly voicing criticism.
Three-term Rep. Park Dae-chul, who is known to be close to Park, told Yonhap News Agency that the apology overlooked the political dynamics behind the former president's conviction.
"The apology would have been better left unsaid. ... There are complicated and various reasons behind a president's imprisonment, such as betrayal of one's party, fake news, distortion or instigation, but (the apology) just reduced them all down to a simple wrongdoing," the lawmaker noted.
Another party senior, Rep. Chung Jin-suk, however, hailed Kim's apology, casting it as the party's "pledge to the public to be born again through sincere remorse and soul-searching."(Yonhap)
(责任编辑:新闻中心)
相关内容
- 阳江村K开麦,阳西3人晋级!
- More men taking parental leave than ever before
- Satoshi Nakamoto's Bitcoin whitepaper turns 10
- Nuclear attack by NK will result in end of Pyongyang regime: US
- Apple's iPhone 17 will come with a huge RAM upgrade, report claims
- The OLED Burn
- Google Pixel 2 will be announced on Oct. 4
- How the DNC wrote the speech for Jensen Walcott and Jake Reed.
- Harry Reid wants Trump to get "fake" intel briefings.
- Carbon neutrality law violates basic rights: Constitutional Court
- 保质保量发起最后冲刺
- More men taking parental leave than ever before
- NK leader conducts public outreach activities amid military provocations
推荐文章
-
Ocean Energy has deployed its 826-tonne wave energy converter buoy OE-35 at the US Navy's Wave Energ ...[详细]
-
屡获第一的药学优等生黄锦梅:最重要的是热爱_南方+_南方plus白蔹、香薷、青黛、石斛、紫菀、藁本......一个个拗口的名字,对应一种中药材。据了解,仅《中华人民共和国药典》2020年版)收载的中药 ...[详细]
-
雅安日报讯继本月初成雅高速公路西康大桥站封闭入口后,因施工需要该站又将于本月28日封闭出口,采取全封闭施工措施,计划至12月25日结束。全封闭施工期间,禁止车辆通过西康大桥站进出成雅高速。成雅高速西康 ...[详细]
-
More men taking parental leave than ever before
(123rf)The number of dads taking child care leave from work exceeded 20,000 for the first time last ...[详细] -
11 Unique Amaros and Liqueurs to Level Up Your Aperol Spritz
Spritzes, made of sparkling wine, soda water, and amaro, have become synonymous with summer in the U ...[详细] -
Survey: North Koreans still watching South Korean media despite brutal crackdown: survey
In this 2017 March file photo, a North Korea flag flutters next to concertina wire at the North Kore ...[详细] -
The Democratic National Convention has been inspiring. So why am I terrified?
PHILADELPHIA—The Democratic National Convention has been far better produced than the Republican one ...[详细] -
A TV screen shows a file image of North Korea's missile launch during a news program at the Seoul Ra ...[详细]
-
Essential Apps to Install on your Windows PC or Mac
You just bought a new laptop, built a new desktop PC, or are simply clean installing on a new solid ...[详细] -
Trump says getting Purple Heart from vet “much easier” than fighting.
Donald Trump is gifted a Purple Heart and says he "always wanted" one https://t.co/8lcKb2Q ...[详细]
热点阅读
随机内容
2016's $400 GPU vs. 2019's $400 GPUs
S. Korea, U.S. to conduct Vigilant Storm air drills next week amid N.K. threats
- NYT Strands hints, answers for August 29
- Top S. Korean, Chinese nuclear envoys discuss NK issue
- Facebook makes it clear: You can't make money from violence, porn, and fake news
- N. Korea builds ice cream factory on Kim Jong
- Apple Watch bands: 5 favorites to consider as Apple Watch 10 looms
- Survey: North Koreans still watching South Korean media despite brutal crackdown: survey
- How Netflix's 'Sabrina' fails its intersectional feminist promise