Kim Jong-in: "Despite Park's Impeachment, Party Lacks Reflection and Introspection... Sincerely Apologize to the People"

"The President's Fault Is Also the Ruling Party's Fault...Failing to Fulfill Responsibilities"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] Kim Jong-in, Emergency Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, stated on the 15th regarding former Presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye, “In the history of the constitution, the unprecedented event of a president being impeached and stepping down occurred. In such a situation, it was only proper to fear the people as if they were heaven and to reflect quietly with a humble attitude, but there was a lack of reflection and introspection,” adding, “I bow my head and sincerely apologize for the disappointment the public must have felt due to such outdated behavior.”

Chairman Kim held an emergency press conference at the National Assembly that day and said, “Currently, two former presidents of the Republic of Korea are simultaneously in custody,” and “I stand here to offer a heartfelt apology to the people regarding this issue.”

Kim said, “The president’s mistakes are also the ruling party’s mistakes,” and “Our party, as the ruling party at the time, failed to fulfill its responsibilities and bore the heavy fault of not detecting and controlling issues related to governing power in advance. Despite the supporters’ hopes to assist the president well, we failed to properly respond.” He continued, “Instead, we clung to our positions and colluded, lacked the wisdom to listen to the voice of history, and above all, failed to unite in the face of crisis and became divided,” emphasizing, “The impeachment should have been an opportunity for our politics to mature further, but I also feel responsible and apologize for the current political situation where democracy and the rule of law have regressed.”

Chairman Kim stated, “The mistakes of the two former presidents are deeply shadowed by the dark ties between politics and business. There are allegations of collusion with specific companies to gain unfair benefits or facilitate management succession processes,” and “There is also the crime of unauthorized individuals interfering in state affairs, disturbing law and order, and monopolizing power.” He added, “They broke their promises to the people. We must ensure that such incidents never happen again in our history,” and “We will deeply reflect on the accumulated past mistakes and faults and be reborn through reform and personnel renewal that rebuilds the party from its roots.”

Kim said, “Looking back at history, every president in the constitutional history has experienced unfortunate events. Whether exiled abroad, shot by close aides, standing trial, having family members imprisoned one after another, or making extreme choices, no president has had a peaceful conclusion,” and “This is a tragic and shameful matter for the nation. Taking this opportunity today, I will reflect and apologize for all these historical processes and will not neglect efforts to seek fundamental innovation in our politics.”

Chairman Kim concluded, “Through several recent elections, the people have wielded a stern judgment against our party. We will humbly accept the will of the people and always approach with a reflective attitude,” and “Though these few words of apology cannot fully resolve the long-standing grievances in the hearts of the people, I bow my head once again with sincerity. We have committed great sins before history and the people. We ask for forgiveness.”

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