Kim Jong-in, the General Election Committee Chairman of the United Future Party, bows his head on the 9th at the National Assembly before holding an emergency press conference regarding the offensive remarks made by candidate Cha Myung-jin (Gyeonggi Bucheon-byeong) about the 'Sewol Ferry tent' and other candidates' slips of the tongue. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@
[Asia Economy reporters Lee Ji-eun and Kim Hye-min] Kim Jong-in, the overall election committee chairman of the United Future Party, recently apologized for the offensive remarks made by party candidates, saying, "I am truly sorry for disappointing and angering the people." He pleaded for another chance, promising that such incidents would never happen again, and warned that candidates would be expelled if similar offensive remarks occur, taking steps to control the candidates' statements.
On the morning of the 9th, Chairman Kim held a press conference at the National Assembly and apologized, saying, "It is unacceptable for candidates of a public party to utter words that should never be spoken."
Chairman Kim's apology came after Seoul Gwanak-gap candidate Kim Dae-ho sparked controversy by saying, "The 30s and 40s generation are trapped in ignorance and delusion," and "Everyone becomes disabled as they age," followed by Gyeonggi Bucheon-si Byeong candidate Cha Myung-jin making derogatory remarks at a debate, claiming "the Sewol ferry victims' families engaged in immoral acts."
Chairman Kim said, "Two candidates of the United Future Party carelessly spoke, disappointing and angering the people, and I sincerely apologize first," emphasizing, "This is not a matter of whether the words were appropriate or not."
He added, "I have instructed all candidates and party officials nationwide to be especially cautious with their words and actions. I promise that such incidents will never happen again," and appealed for support, saying, "If you give the United Future Party one chance in this general election, we will make sure you will never be disappointed again."
Chairman Kim revealed the reason for voluntarily holding the press conference, saying, "I briefly thought about whether I should give up everything, but since this is the last duty of my life and the people's desperate voice to 'turn back the direction the country is heading' is so urgent, I have come before you again today."
Kim Jong-in, the General Election Committee Chairman of the United Future Party, is holding an emergency press conference on the 9th at the National Assembly regarding the verbal blunders of candidates, including candidate Cha Myung-jin (Gyeonggi Bucheon-byeong) and his 'Sewol ferry tent' remarks. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@
Chairman Kim also stated his intention to expel candidates if offensive remarks controversies arise again. Right after the press conference, he told reporters, "We should assume such remarks will not come out again, but if they do, we have no choice but to handle them in the same way (expulsion)." Regarding party officials publicly saying "What's the problem?" about Candidate Cha's remarks, he responded, "That is a personal opinion and not something to argue about," adding, "If the party has taken action, that should be the end of the matter."
Candidate Cha had already been involved in past offensive remarks controversies, which caused issues during the nomination process. Regarding the rising "responsibility of the nomination committee," Chairman Kim said, "If the nomination process had properly filtered candidates, such incidents would not have occurred," but dismissed responsibility by saying, "Since the nomination was already made and the remarks surfaced yesterday making the news, we cannot hold the nomination committee members responsible for the nomination process."
Additionally, Chairman Kim emphasized that a special disaster scholarship of 1 million KRW per person should be provided to university and graduate students nationwide. He said, "Countries are investing national budgets on a large scale under various justifications. Support for university students is no different," adding, "Understanding the heartbreaking situation of students who work part-time jobs to help pay tuition when their income sharply decreases, I hope the government immediately provides a special disaster scholarship of 1 million KRW per person to all university and graduate students nationwide to ease their burden even a little." Regarding funding, he added, "It can be sufficiently done if the government allocates from the Ministry of Education's budget."
The required funds are expected to reach 2 to 3 trillion KRW. Shin Se-don, co-chairman of the election committee, said, "If we consider there are about 2 million university and graduate students combined, the budget would be around 2 trillion KRW," adding, "If the president invokes the emergency financial order, the payment can be made promptly."
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