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The Democratic Party of Korea seized on media reports on May 18 — the anniversary of the Gwangju Democratization Movement — that People Power co-campaign chair Song Eon-seok allegedly said, “(In Gwangju) you never know what might happen, so I won’t go because it’s dirty.” The party demanded that he apologize.
In response, the People Power Party called the report baseless and said it would pursue legal action.
OhmyNews reported that on the morning of May 18, after Song held a press briefing at the National Assembly and spoke with several reporters, he laughed and answered a question about Jang Dong-hyeok’s planned visit to Gwangju by saying, “Who knows what might happen today. That’s why I won’t go — it’s dirty.”
Relatedly, Democratic Party campaign co-chair Jeong Cheong-rae posted on Facebook under the headline “Did I misread this?” He wrote that he initially thought the People Power official meant he wouldn’t go because it was hot, but that was not the case, adding, “Perhaps they are a hopeless lot.”
Democratic Party floor spokesperson Lee Joo-hee issued a statement expressing “deep anger” at remarks that reveal blatant hostility and prejudice toward Honam and the May 18 democratization movement, and urged that the official bow to citizens and apologize.
The People Power floor leader’s office said in a media notice that the OhmyNews report is entirely untrue, that Floor Leader Song did not use that expression, and that it deeply regrets the unverified “tea time” report. It announced it will take legal action.
The office added that it will also pursue legal measures against Democratic Party member Jeong Cheong-rae for posting incendiary content on social media based on what it called a clearly false report.
An official from the floor leader’s office told several outlets that Song had said he would not go because he felt “seoreoweo” (sorrowful), explaining, “May 18 is a day for everyone; like last year, when Jang was unable to pay his respects and was blocked, he meant it was painful that he was not welcomed.”
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