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Politician Apologizes for 'Disgusted' Remark on Gwangju Uprising After Backlash

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Song Eon-seok, a leader in the People Power Party, apologized five days after making a controversial remark about the May 18th Democratic Uprising.
  • Song initially claimed he said "because I was sad" rather than "because I was disgusted," and threatened legal action.
  • He later apologized, stating the remark could have been offensive, but also defended it by saying the phrase is commonly used in his home region.

Song Eon-seok, a floor leader for the People Power Party, has issued an apology five days after his controversial remark regarding the May 18th Gwangju Uprising. The initial incident occurred when Song reportedly said, "I'm not going because I'm disgusted," in response to a question about attending the 46th anniversary ceremony of the uprising.

Ultimately, those who heard it could have felt unpleasant, and the May 18th incident is one of the most painful parts of South Korean history. In any case, I apologize for those parts and clearly state that it was wrong.

· Song Eon-seokPeople Power Party floor leader, apologizing for his controversial remark about the May 18th Gwangju Uprising.

Following the controversy, Song's office initially claimed he had said "because I was sad" (seoreowoseo) and threatened legal action against media outlets for reporting the statement without verifying facts. They suggested "sad" implied feeling unwelcome. However, audio evidence later emerged contradicting this claim.

In a television appearance, Song apologized, acknowledging that his words could have caused offense, especially given the historical significance of the Gwangju Uprising. He stated, "Ultimately, those who heard it could have felt unpleasant, and the May 18th incident is one of the most painful parts of South Korean history. In any case, I apologize for those parts and clearly state that it was wrong."

The phrase is commonly used in our region, similar to how 'geogisi' is used in Jeolla dialect.

· Song Eon-seokPeople Power Party floor leader, attempting to justify his controversial remark by referencing regional dialect.

Despite the apology, Song also attempted to contextualize his remark, suggesting the phrase "because I'm disgusted" (deoreobeoseo) is commonly used in his home region, the Gyeongsangbuk-do province, comparing it to a regional dialect term. He further explained that the comment was made during a private conversation with reporters after a press conference, while sharing his birthday cake, and was intended to be off the record. This explanation has drawn criticism, particularly from the Democratic Party, which accused him of hypocrisy for seeking votes while making disparaging remarks.

The audio of Song Eon-seok's 'because I'm disgusted' remark was clearly released, yet he offered no apology.

· Jeon Su-miSpokesperson for the Democratic Party's Central Election Committee, criticizing Song's delayed apology.
About this summary

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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