Yoon's Divergent Reaction from Lee Jae-myung to Lee Soon-ja's Proxy Apology: "Nothing Special to Say"

People Power Party's presidential candidate Yoon Seok-yeol is visiting the 'Masquerade Exhibition' held at the Seoul Arts Center in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 27th, viewing the exhibited works together with young artists.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Seoyoung] Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, remained silent and said he had nothing to say regarding the apology from Lee Soon-ja, the wife of the late former President Jeon Du-hwan.

On the 27th, during a meeting with reporters at the Seoul Arts Center in Seocho-gu, when asked, "How do you view Ms. Lee's proxy apology for events that occurred during her husband's tenure, excluding the mention of the May 18 Gwangju Incident?" Yoon replied, "I have nothing special to say about that." This is interpreted as an attempt to refrain from commenting as much as possible amid controversy over his perceived defense of Jeon Du-hwan.

Previously, Yoon had sparked controversy by stating, "Although former President Jeon Du-hwan made mistakes, many say that except for the military coup and the May 18 Incident, his politics were good. There are people in Honam who say so as well." He also explained that if he became president, he would appoint talented individuals regardless of region or background, adding, "He (Jeon Du-hwan) managed organizations while in the military, so I entrusted (experts in various fields) to him."

As criticism poured in over these remarks, Yoon eventually issued an official apology. However, on the same day, he faced public backlash after posting a photo on his managed social media service (SNS) showing him giving an apple to his pet dog.

Meanwhile, on the same day in the morning at Jeon’s funeral, Lee stated, "I would like to deeply apologize on behalf of my husband to those who suffered pain and wounds during his tenure." She also added, "Looking back, after my husband stepped down from public office, we went through many hardships. At those times, my husband would say that everything was due to his own shortcomings and lack of virtue."

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