Lee Jun-seok "Political language immaturity, measures must be taken"
Song Young-gil "At this point, a clear intentional offender"
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, who has been criticized for his remarks defending former President Jeon Du-hwan, declared that he has no intention of apologizing when asked if he would be willing to apologize in Gwangju, saying, "I did not intend to anger the people of Honam."
On the 20th, former Prosecutor General Yoon stated, "To create good opportunities for the youth and take care of the people's livelihood, national leaders must use any means necessary. If there are effective methods from previous administrations, they should be benchmarked and used for the people," expressing this view.
He continued, "It is a very famous saying that former President Jeon referred to Kim Jae-ik, then Blue House economic chief, as 'You are the president of the economy,'" adding, "Delegated politics is a way to serve the people comfortably. Saying that I am praising former President Jeon or that I have a different historical perspective on the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement is an excessive claim."
The previous day, former Prosecutor General Yoon visited the office of Ha Tae-kyung, a People Power Party lawmaker from Busan Haeundae-gap, and mentioned former President Jeon, saying, "Except for the military coup and the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement, there are mistakes, but many say he did well in politics," and "People from Honam also say such things."
The ruling party highlighted the problematic nature of his remarks. Song Young-gil, leader of the Democratic Party, criticized at the Supreme Council meeting that morning, "How dare he mention the people of Honam, the biggest victims of Jeon Du-hwan's regime's tyranny, and praise Jeon Du-hwan? At this point, it is not a simple slip of the tongue or mistake but a clear intentional offense." All Democratic Party lawmakers from Gwangju, Jeonnam, and Jeonbuk held a press conference at the National Assembly, demanding an apology for the disparagement of Honam and insulting remarks toward the people, and called for his withdrawal from the candidacy.
As the controversy grew, former Prosecutor General Yoon explained on Facebook that "It is an undisputed historical fact that Jeon Du-hwan's regime was a dictatorship and suppressed liberal democracy," but he did not apologize, only stating that he did not intend to defend the remarks themselves.
Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, told reporters at the National Assembly that day, "From former Prosecutor General Yoon's perspective, it seems he hesitates to apologize because he believes his true intentions were not properly conveyed," and criticized, "Given that he will engage in political activities going forward, it is a valid point to criticize his immature political language."
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