Opposition Parties Visit Sites of 'Staged Attack' and 'Itaewon Disaster' for Reflection

The conservative opposition parties have entered a mode of reflection on their past actions. The Reform New Party visited the site of the 'Jung Ihan former Busan mayoral candidate staged attack incident' and issued an apology for the nomination of public office candidates. The People Power Party visited the site of the 'October 29 Itaewon disaster' and delivered a public message on the importance of national safety.

On the morning of September 2, at 7 a.m., Reform New Party acting leader and floor leader Chun Haram stood in front of Sejeong Tower in Geumjeong-gu, Busan, wearing a sign around his neck that read, "We deeply apologize to the citizens of Busan for the wrongful nomination of the Busan mayoral candidate," and apologized directly to citizens. The location where Chun issued his apology was where the former candidate Jung staged the attack incident.

Yonhap News Agency

Previously, Jung was arrested on charges of staging his own attack during the June 3 local elections. Furthermore, suspicions arose regarding the involvement of his family-run company in the election, leading to criticism of the Reform New Party for failing to prevent such issues. Acting leader Chun stated, "The vetting process was insufficient," and emphasized, "It is only proper to offer a direct apology to the citizens."

On the same day, Jeong Jeom-sik, floor leader of the People Power Party, visited the site of the Itaewon disaster in Yongsan-gu, Seoul and met with the bereaved families. This visit was in response to requests from the families and comes after both ruling and opposition parties agreed to extend the activity period of the Itaewon Disaster Special Investigation Committee by one year. The Itaewon disaster occurred in 2022 during the presidency of former President Yoon Suk-yeol.

Yonhap News Agency

During his meeting with the bereaved families, floor leader Jeong stated, "I sincerely apologize for the political actions that have caused additional pain to the bereaved families as you have continuously called for uncovering the truth and preparing countermeasures," and reiterated, "I will never forget October 29, 2022. I will do everything necessary to ensure that the truth is revealed and adequate follow-up measures are implemented."

The recent moves by conservative parties to reflect on past incidents are closely related to their current challenging circumstances. Although President Lee Jaemyung's approval rating for state administration has fallen to the 30% range, neither the People Power Party nor the Reform New Party has benefited from it. Both inside and outside the parties, the diagnosis is that the lack of a rebound in party approval ratings reflects a harsh public judgment that they have failed to meet the expectations of the people.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.