"Dear Victims!" How Yun Hojung's Apology at the National Cemetery Differed from Oh Se-hoon's Apology

Citizens Say "Out of the Blue," "Who Is the Victim?" Criticism Pours In
Comparisons Made to Oh Se-hoon’s "Official Briefing Apology"
Experts Say "Apology at Hyeonchungwon Inappropriate in Location, Situation, and Content"

Yoon Ho-jung, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea and chairman of the Emergency Response Committee, visited the National Seoul Memorial Cemetery in Dongjak-gu, Seoul on the 22nd. After paying respects, he is writing in the guestbook.
Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Yoon Hojung, the Emergency Response Committee Chairman and Floor Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, apologized for the first time since taking office to the victims of sexual violence cases involving former Seoul and Busan Mayors Park Won-soon and Oh Keo-don. However, this apology has been met with criticism questioning its sincerity.

Some pointed out the inappropriateness of Yoon's apology in terms of timing, place, and circumstances, referencing Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who was praised for his sincere apology to the victim of former Mayor Park's sexual harassment case around the same time. Experts emphasized that an apology to victims is not about the mere act of apologizing but about what exactly is being apologized for.

On the 22nd, while paying respects at the National Seoul Memorial Cemetery, Yoon wrote in the guestbook, "To the patriots! To the people! To the victims! I sincerely apologize. I will heed the public sentiment and attend to the people's livelihood."

This raised questions about who the "victims" Yoon referred to were. Yoon later explained, "Our party felt that we had not sincerely apologized from the heart to those individuals (victims of the former mayors' sexual violence), and I thought this was an appropriate place to offer an apology," clarifying that the apology was directed toward the victims of the sexual violence cases involving former Mayors Park and Oh.

Among citizens, immediate criticism arose that the apology was inappropriate. They questioned why sexual violence victims were suddenly mentioned at a memorial cemetery honoring fallen patriots. One netizen criticized, "The place and situation were inappropriate, and the content of the apology did not clearly specify who was being referred to or what the apology was for. It is incomprehensible."

Yoon Ho-jung, Floor Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea and Chairman of the Emergency Response Committee, visited the National Seoul Memorial Cemetery in Dongjak-gu, Seoul on the 22nd and wrote in the guestbook after paying respects.
Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

The victim who received the apology also expressed confusion. The victim of former Mayor Oh's sexual harassment case expressed displeasure through a statement released by the Busan Sexual Violence Counseling Center, calling it "insulting."

She said, "Every time I resolve 'I should stop thinking about it now,' irrational things hold me back," and questioned, "I am not a patriot buried in the memorial cemetery. Why on earth are you apologizing to me there?"

Despite both being "apologies," evaluations differed. Some referenced the official apology issued by current Mayor Oh to the victim of former Mayor Park's sexual harassment case through a briefing, criticizing Yoon's apology as inappropriate.

Earlier, on the 20th, Mayor Oh held a briefing at Seoul City Hall and officially apologized to the victim, saying, "From the moment the incident occurred, the immediate and proper response, as well as Seoul City's handling of secondary victimization, was very insufficient."

Mayor Oh continued, "To make matters worse, the funeral of the former mayor was held by the head of Seoul City, and seeing the memorial altar set up in Seoul Plaza, I believe the victim must have felt despair in the face of yet another overwhelming force." He promised to facilitate the victim's smooth return to work, take personnel actions against those involved, and introduce a "one-strike-out" policy for subsequent sexual violence incidents.

At his inauguration as Seoul Mayor on the 22nd, Oh again bowed his head, stating, "As the person responsible for Seoul City, it is a natural duty to apologize for incidents that occurred in Seoul."

On the morning of the 22nd, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is taking the oath of office at the DDP video studio in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul. Photo by Joint Photo Coverage Team

Regarding this, the victim of former Mayor Park's sexual harassment case, through her legal team, said, "Until now, the apologies I received were either statements posted on social media or comments in response to reporters' questions," expressing high regard for Mayor Oh's apology.

She said, "I was moved to tears by the careful consideration of my position," and added, "I am grateful that the head of the place I will return to has looked into what has happened and what will happen."

Within the ruling party, there was also an assessment that Mayor Oh's apology felt sincere. On the 22nd, Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Sujin (Seoul Dongjak-eul) said at the Democratic Party Policy Coordination Meeting, "(Mayor Oh's apology) is a sincere and responsible apology. Reform starts with genuine reflection. The Democratic Party was truly lacking," expressing self-reflection.

Experts emphasized that an apology to victims is not about the fact that an apology was made but about what exactly was apologized for.

Attorney Lee Eun-ui (Lee Eun-ui Law Office) pointed out, "The National Memorial Cemetery is a place honoring those who dedicated their lives to the country. Apologizing to victims there out of the blue neglects the memorial and commitment that should have been made at the cemetery, and the apology was not delivered in an appropriate time, place, or content that could properly reach the victims."

She added, "It was not a genuine apology but merely a gesture of 'we apologized.' What matters to victims is what they are being apologized for, and that remains unclear. Victims may feel uncomfortable, thinking they were summoned for some political message rather than a proper apology. This farce happened because the form of apology was followed without substance."

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