Park Sung-jun Defends "'GSGG' Kim Seung-won, a Decent and Upright Politician"

Kim Seung-won, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the full meeting of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 10th of last month. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim So-young] Park Sung-jun, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, recently commented on the controversial 'GSGG' remark made by fellow party member Kim Seung-won, saying it means "the obligation to serve the general will of the people, the public good, and the common good," and that "(it) was probably not intended as a curse."

On the 3rd, Park appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' and claimed, "(Kim Seung-won) is a very dignified person."

He defended Kim by saying, "In the U.S., the term 'general good' is often used, but when abbreviations are used, there is room for misunderstanding and misinterpretation. Kim said that politicians have the duty to serve the general will and the public good."

When the host asked, "Did Kim Seung-won apologize for using the term in a way that could cause misunderstanding?" Park replied, "I don't think it needs to be interpreted that way," and explained, "It seems he clarified and explained that using the abbreviation could definitely cause misunderstanding and misinterpretation."

He added, "Kim and I are the same age and I know him well," and described him as "a very dignified and upright politician, a member I think very highly of."

When the host mentioned that a listener asked, "Would it be okay if Park himself used 'GSGG'?" Park responded, "Politicians basically endure a lot of curses as part of their job, so if you curse at me, I will accept it well," and countered that the current 'GSGG' seems to imply a curse.

Earlier, on the 30th of last month, after the failure to bring the amendment to the Media Arbitration Act to the National Assembly plenary session, Kim posted on his Facebook early on the 31st, saying, "Thank you so much, Park Byeong-seok, this will go down in history, GSGG." Following criticism that this was a veiled curse, he explained, "The government must serve the general will of the people, which is the meaning behind the expression. In English, it stands for Government serve general G."

However, as the controversy escalated, Kim personally visited National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seok to apologize on the same day, and on the 2nd, he bowed his head on Facebook, saying, "I was hasty and foolish," and "I will always think 'I could be wrong' and think again before writing or speaking." He added, "Speaker Park, I apologize once again," and stated, "I will deeply take to heart your stern reprimand and become a better politician, Kim Seung-won."

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