Why Did President Lee Say North Korea Won’t Apologize? Unpacking His Controversial Remarks

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The Blue House said on March 28 that reports suggesting President Lee Jae-myung told the family of the Cheonan victims, “If we tell them to apologize, will North Korea apologize?” reflected his sorrow over the harsh reality of inter-Korean relations.

A Blue House official added that the government would honor the heroes’ sacrifices by maintaining steadfast security so their deaths would not be in vain.

Earlier, a media outlet reported that at the West Sea Defense Day ceremony on March 27, the president was asked by the family of the late Master Sergeant Min Pyeong-gi — who died in the Cheonan sinking — to try to secure an apology from North Korea. Reportedly, the president replied, “If we tell them to apologize, will North Korea apologize?”

Park Seong-hoon, senior spokesman for the People Power Party, criticized the president in a statement, saying the president had fallen silent again in the face of North Korea’s atrocity in the Cheonan attack. Park said the offhand remark, “If we tell them to apologize, will North Korea apologize?” trampled on the sacrifices of the 46 service members and the anguish of their families.

The Democratic Party pushed back immediately. Baek Seung-ah, the party’s floor spokesperson, said in a written briefing that the president’s remark did not deny calls for an apology. Rather, Baek said, Lee was expressing a realistic, in-depth concern about how to hold North Korea accountable for its provocations and achieve meaningful change.