Debate Over Kim Geon-hee's Apology... Is There 'Sincerity' or 'None'?

People Power Party "Honestly Talk About the Past"
Democratic Party "Apology Letter Ink Not Dry Yet, Showing All-In on Negativity"

Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, and his wife Kim Geon-hee are making a public apology on the 26th at the party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, regarding allegations of false credentials. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporters Kum Boryeong and Jeon Jinyoung] The ruling and opposition parties engaged in a heated debate for the second day over the public apology by Kim Gun-hee (photo), spouse of Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party's presidential candidate, regarding allegations of false credentials.

On the 27th, Lee Soo-jung, co-chair of the People Power Party's election campaign committee, appeared on a radio show and said, "(Kim) couldn't open her eyes," suggesting it indicated "how much she thinks she was wrong," emphasizing Kim's sincerity.

Kim Byung-min, spokesperson for the campaign committee, also appeared on the radio and said, "We judged it important to honestly bring up past matters," adding, "Rather than approaching this from a political or election-related perspective, since it concerns Kim's own past, expressing sincerity is above all important." Regarding criticisms that the apology was insufficient, he responded, "It is not simply ended with one apology; we intend to continue reflecting on it with that mindset."

The Democratic Party of Korea decided not to make any further official responses such as statements. On the same day, Kwon Hyuk-ki, deputy director of the campaign committee's public relations department, told reporters, "We will observe the public's evaluation," but added, "However, we plan to strongly criticize candidate Yoon for going all-in on negative campaigning even before the ink on his spouse's apology statement has dried."

However, individual Democratic Party lawmakers pointed out a lack of sincerity in Kim's apology. Representative Woo Sang-ho criticized in a radio interview, "An apology without a specific confession of wrongdoing lacks sincerity," calling it "a strategic apology to avoid a political crisis." Representative Park Joo-min also said, "I doubt whether the timing and content were sufficient to clarify the allegations currently being raised," adding, "The timing was late, and while she apologized, the campaign committee distributed explanatory materials refuting all allegations, effectively denying any admission of wrongdoing. There is no sincerity."

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