'Park Won-soon Legacy' Woo Sang-ho: "Condolences to the Bereaved... Not an Election Strategy"

Woo Sang-ho, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker. Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] On the 14th, Woo Sang-ho, a member of the Democratic Party who announced his candidacy for the Seoul mayoral by-election, clarified his statement about succeeding the late former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon by saying, "As someone who contributed to electing former Mayor Park three times, I intended to comfort the bereaved families with the thought that 'what crime could the bereaved families have committed?'"

Woo held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Office that morning and responded to a question asking, "You stated that you would carry on former Mayor Park's policies, but the victim's side has rebutted this. What is your position?" with the above explanation.

Regarding criticisms that he was using former Mayor Park for election strategy, Woo said, "Such reports are disappointing. If I were to use this card because it was disadvantageous for the election, I would rather attack candidate Park Young-sun. How would talking about former Mayor Park's family be of any help?" He added, "It was harsh to interpret my sincerity only in the context of the election." He continued, "I hope this incident leads to a more advanced society," and added, "I offer words of comfort and encouragement to the victim, and I also wish for the bereaved families not to remain in sorrow but to return to normal life. I pray for both sides."

Woo revealed, "I saw a handwritten letter by Mrs. Kang Nan-hee, the spouse of former Mayor Park, through the media and thought, 'There was a bereaved family on this side as well, but there was no comfort offered to them.'" He said, "I was taken aback when the victim rebutted that." He further explained, "My sincerity is to take protective measures and offer comfort to the victim, but also to console the bereaved family who lost their loved one and are immersed in grief," and added, "I hope my sincerity is accepted."

Additionally, Woo stated, "After declaring my candidacy, I have given 20 media interviews expressing respect for the Human Rights Commission's decisions and my commitment to faithfully implement the recommended measures," and said, "I pledged to thoroughly improve the system so that there will be no more sex-related crimes in Seoul City." He continued, "Pointing out the inadequacy of victim protection measures, I repeatedly stated in interviews that if I become mayor, I will take steps to ensure the victim can return to Seoul City normally," and concluded, "I believe I have sufficiently clarified this issue."

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