Jung Bong-ju "Public Apology Misrepresented, Sincerely Sorry... Halting Election Campaign"

Controversy Over the Authenticity of the Apology from the Person Involved
"Public Apology Was Misexpressed... Will Refrain from Activities for a While"

Jeong Bong-ju, former lawmaker and the Democratic Party of Korea candidate for Seoul Gangbuk District in the 22nd general election, clarified on the 14th that he had "publicly apologized on a podcast" amid controversy over whether he had apologized to the person involved regarding his past controversial so-called 'crutch prize' remarks.

In a post on Facebook that day, Jeong detailed the circumstances of his apology. The 'crutch prize' remark came up during a conversation with panelists on the podcast 'Jeong Bong-ju TV' on July 4, 2017. At the time, he said, "There is something cool in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), right? Ankle landmines. We would enter the DMZ and offer prizes. Giving a crutch to those who step on ankle landmines."

Former Assemblyman Jeong Bong-ju.

Previously, in August 2015, two non-commissioned officers from the Army's 1st Infantry Division conducting a search operation in the DMZ in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, lost their legs and ankles due to a North Korean landmine explosion. Some raised suspicions that Jeong's remarks mocked the injured soldiers.

In response, Jeong claimed in his Facebook post, "After my remarks, Lee Jong-myung, then a member of the Liberty Korea Party (predecessor of the People Power Party), who had experienced an accident caused by a landmine, criticized my remarks at a press conference and urged me to apologize, so I apologized over the phone."

He added, "However, I could not obtain the contact information of Sergeant Kim Jeong-won and former Corporal Ha Jae-heon, who were injured in the accident, so I could not apologize to them directly," and "On July 5, the day after the controversial remarks, I publicly apologized for the inappropriate comments on the same podcast broadcast."

He bowed his head, saying, "Yesterday, when the 2017 remarks were reported and I posted an apology acknowledging my fault again along with the apology I made at the time, I caused concern again by expressing as if I had directly apologized to the two injured veterans. I sincerely apologize once again to the two."

He continued, "I acknowledge my fault and will reflect on it," and "I will suspend public election campaigns for the time being and also halt all broadcasting activities, including on YouTube."

Earlier, on the 13th, Jeong had written on Facebook, "Immediately after the 'crutch prize' remarks, I apologized directly over the phone to the person involved and promptly deleted related videos," and "I sincerely apologize for my past remarks with the same heart then and now."

However, news reports emerged stating that the injured soldiers at the time had never received an apology from Jeong, and subsequently, the Democratic Party began verifying the authenticity of Jeong's Facebook post.

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