'Ageism' Kim Eun-kyung Officially Apologizes After Five Days... "Innovation Will Continue" Denies Resignation (Summary)

Refusal to Resign Rumors Within the Party
Apology Separate from the Democratic Party's Floor Leadership
Concerns Raised Within the Party About Weakening Innovation Momentum

Kim Eun-kyung, Chair of the Democratic Party's Innovation Committee, officially apologized on the 3rd for the controversy over her disparaging remarks about the elderly. It came five days after the controversy sparked by her comment on 'life-prolonging proportional voting.' On the day, Chair Kim visited the Korea Senior Citizens Association to convey her apology. However, she dismissed calls for her resignation raised within some party circles.

During a press conference in front of the Democratic Party headquarters that morning, Chair Kim said, "I apologize for the controversy caused by my remarks at the youth roundtable last Sunday," adding, "I sincerely apologize for hurting the feelings of the elderly." She stated, "I will take to heart the need to respect the dedication and experience of our elders." She also pledged, "I will be more cautious in my remarks to prevent such situations from arising in the future."

Earlier, on the 30th of last month, during a roundtable with youths at a caf? in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, Kim introduced her son's remark, "Why do people with a short future vote the same as the youth?" and called it "reasonable," which sparked controversy. She also explained the timing of her apology five days after the controversy. Chair Kim said, "I never said I wouldn't apologize," and added, "I thought my visits and words like 'please ease your mind,' 'it was foolish,' and 'it was lacking' would suffice."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

However, she did not give a direct answer regarding calls for her resignation within the Democratic Party, citing responsibility for the repeated verbal controversies. Nonetheless, she said, "The will for innovation remains unchanged," indicating her intention to continue her role as Innovation Committee Chair.

Park Kwang-on, the Democratic Party floor leader, visited the Korea Senior Citizens Association with the party leadership on the same day to apologize for Chair Kim's remarks. The day before, the Korea Senior Citizens Association issued a statement criticizing Kim's remarks as "unfilial." Lee Hae-sik, the party's Deputy Secretary-General for Organization, also visited the association that day to convey the party's apology, but the association demanded a direct apology from Chair Kim.

Within the party, concerns poured in about whether the Innovation Committee could function properly. The Innovation Committee is already conducting a survey targeting all party-affiliated lawmakers, which includes questions about the delegate system and the method of selecting general election candidates. The committee plans to propose reform directions for party structural reform, but there are growing concerns that the momentum for innovation may weaken amid the controversy.

Yoo In-tae, a senior member of the Democratic Party and former Secretary-General of the National Assembly, criticized on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' saying, "After saying something absurd, if you realize quickly and apologize promptly, it would be fine, but instead, they acted as if it was nothing, and Democratic Party lawmaker Yang Yi-won-young added fuel to the fire, escalating the issue," and added, "The Innovation Committee was pointless to begin with." Yoo also said, "Since we have to go to a provisional leadership anyway, with the current leadership remaining, what kind of innovation can there be in an Innovation Committee that watches the leadership's mood?"

Democratic Party lawmaker Ahn Min-seok also acknowledged that the Innovation Committee is in a precarious situation. On YTN Radio's 'News King Park Ji-hoon,' Ahn said, "The atmosphere around the Innovation Committee seems to be getting worse." However, he added, "If the Innovation Committee fails, the hope of the Democratic Party disappears, and the dam of democracy breaks," emphasizing, "The Innovation Committee must succeed by any means." Regarding the controversy, he expressed the view that Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung should also apologize. Ahn said, "This controversy related to the elderly is a very painful issue," and added, "Even the party leader should take this opportunity to apologize."

Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Jong-min also voiced his opinion on social media the day before, urging Leader Lee, "As a responsible party leader for the Democratic Party's innovation and future, shouldn't you really do something?"