People Power Party Fails to Cross the "River of Impeachment"... Kim Jong-in Determined to Proceed with Public Apology

Public Backlash from Baehyeonjin and Jang Jaewon, etc.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] Kim Jong-in, the Emergency Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, faced fierce backlash after once again expressing his intention to issue a public apology regarding the imprisonment and guilty verdicts of former Presidents Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak. The internal conflict within the party has intensified as Bae Hyun-jin, the party’s floor spokesperson and a member of the People Power Party, openly criticized him. During the April 15 general election, the Liberty Korea Party and the New Conservative Party united to form the United Future Party, which later became the People Power Party in an attempt at conservative unification, but it seems they still have not crossed the 'river of impeachment.'

On the 7th, immediately after the Emergency Committee meeting held at the National Assembly, Chairman Kim told reporters regarding the voices opposing the public apology, "I will do as I judge," and added, "I will not be swayed." He is considering issuing a public apology on the 9th, marking the fourth anniversary of the National Assembly’s passage of the impeachment motion against former President Park.

Chairman Kim has expressed his intention to apologize to the public once the Supreme Court ruling on former President Park is finalized, even before he took office. However, whenever he mentioned the public apology, internal disagreements surfaced, and the timing was delayed citing the need for internal persuasion. Right after concluding the founding convention of the Youth People Power Party the day before, Chairman Kim said about the public apology, "Isn’t it time when it must be done?"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Some party members have publicly voiced opposition. In particular, Floor Spokesperson Bae Hyun-jin sharply criticized on Facebook on the 6th, saying, "Who brought President Moon Jae-in to power? Is Chairman Kim also going to keep blaming the previous administration?" She added, "If you insist on making a sudden apology for two former presidents who are already imprisoned and whose memories are faint until they die, shouldn’t you first apologize for the very birth of the Moon Jae-in administration?"

People Power Party lawmaker Jang Je-won strongly opposed Chairman Kim’s push for an apology on the 7th, calling it a "clear overreach." He said, "The People Power Party is not Chairman Kim’s private party. This is a clear overreach without procedural legitimacy or the legitimacy of the apology’s subject." He criticized, "If apologizing for the past was a condition for taking office, Chairman Kim would never have joined this party in the first place. At a time when the party’s efforts should be focused on stopping the reckless actions of the Democratic Party, the Emergency Committee Chairman is only stirring premature apology controversies that cause division within the party, which is truly disheartening."

Seo Byung-soo, a member of the People Power Party considered an original pro-Park (pro-Park Geun-hye) faction, said, "Is it really because we have not apologized for former President Park’s impeachment that the right wing in South Korea has not found its footing? We have already issued several party-level apologies." He added, "An apology for former President Park’s impeachment is not the only bridge to cross the 'river of impeachment.' Now is not the time."

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