'Except for the Democratic Party' Controversy... Will the Democratic Party Leadership Resolve the Situation Without an Official Apology?

"Will Show More of the Ruling Party Caring for Public Sentiment"
"The Party Must Listen to the People's Voices with a More Humble Attitude"

Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Hae-chan is speaking at the expanded executive meeting held on the morning of the 14th at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Yeouido, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] The Democratic Party of Korea withdrew its complaint against Professor Im Miri, a research professor at Korea University’s Institute of Korean History, who wrote a critical column about the party. However, the party has yet to issue the apology that Professor Im demanded, causing a growing controversy.

Within the Democratic Party, instead of an official apology, voices of self-reflection regarding the 'Professor Im Incident Column' are being expressed in public settings. Attention is focused on whether this will be enough to quell the situation.

On the 17th, Floor Leader Lee In-young addressed the series of events, including the controversy over the complaint against Professor Im, who wrote the column titled "Except for the Democratic Party," stating, "We will listen carefully to public sentiment and show more of the ruling party’s image that cares for the people’s will."

At the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly that day, Floor Leader Lee said, "Recently, there have been calls for our party to adopt a more humble attitude and listen to the voices of the people."

Among the leadership, Supreme Council Member Nam In-soon was the only one to say, "The Democratic Party is a party that has fought against past authoritarian regimes for freedom of expression and the press," adding, "Professor Im Miri’s column hurts the Democratic Party deeply."

However, like Floor Leader Lee, Supreme Council Member Nam did not use direct expressions such as "apologize" or "sorry."

Former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon, who is running for the Seoul Jongno district in the April 15 general election, visited Buam-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul on the morning of the 17th to inspect the area for plans to develop tourism in underdeveloped regions.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon, who is running in Seoul’s Jongno district in the upcoming April 15 general election, apologized on the 17th regarding the Professor Im column incident, saying, "I am sorry to the people."

At a press conference in Buam-dong, Jongno-gu, Lee said, "I feel sorry to the people for losing humility or appearing to be lacking in humility."

He added, "From now on, I will be more cautious and vigilant myself," and "I hope the party will do the same."

When asked if this apology was on a personal level, he replied, "Yes," but also said, "As someone appointed as a joint permanent election committee chairperson (I am apologizing)."

A column by Im Miri, Research Professor at Korea University Institute of Korean History, published in Kyunghyang Shinmun on the 29th of last month. Photo by Kyunghyang Shinmun

Although Floor Leader Lee, Supreme Council Member Nam, and former Prime Minister Lee expressed voices of self-reflection regarding the Professor Im column incident, calls for party-level responsibility have also emerged.

Democratic Party lawmaker Kang Hoon-sik appeared on CBS Radio’s "Kim Hyun-jung’s News Show" that morning and, when asked about a party-level apology, responded, "I believe those things are probably under consideration."

Kang added, "Personally, as a ruling party lawmaker, I feel somewhat apologetic. It is not right for the ruling party to be seen in this light," and "Because we are the ruling party, I am expressing my personal opinion that we should apologize with a responsible attitude on a larger scale."

Democratic Party Policy Committee Chair Cho Jung-sik also appeared on MBC Radio’s "Kim Jong-bae’s Focus" and said, "(The complaint about the column) was decided by the party’s spokesperson office line, but I think that was excessive, so we took the measure to withdraw the complaint," adding, "If there are other necessary parts, we will discuss those as well."

Earlier, the Democratic Party had filed a complaint against Professor Im, who wrote a critical column titled "Except for the Democratic Party," but withdrew it amid criticism both inside and outside the party.

Regarding this, Professor Im said, "Although there should obviously be an apology statement from the leadership, they are trying to end the matter with just a statement from the Public Relations Office," and demanded an official apology from the Democratic Party.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.