Rep. Song Young-gil of the Democratic Party of Korea apologized for claiming that former party leader Jung Chung-rae had been absent from the funeral of the late former President Roh Moo-hyun. Yet with both sides issuing successive statements over the "orthodoxy" dispute, the friction continues ahead of the party leadership election.
Song said through his social media account Tuesday morning, "I have confirmed that Rep. Jung was in China on the day of the passing and could not attend, but paid his respects the following day, so I correct my remarks and apologize." Earlier, Song had targeted Jung in a radio interview Monday, claiming he "had fallen out with President Roh and could not even attend the funeral." After Jung immediately countered that he "visited Bongha Village the very next day," Song accepted this a day later.
Explaining how the remarks came about, Song said, "I had no memory of seeing Rep. Jung on the day of the passing, so I mistakenly believed he was absent." He added, "I judged it inappropriate for a contender who had drifted away from Nosamo while operating within the Chung Dong-young faction to claim orthodoxy in order to attack other candidates."
At the same time, Song continued his criticism by taking issue with Jung's past policy positions. Song pointed out, "When former President Roh was pursuing the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (FTA), Rep. Jung was at the forefront of the fierce opposition by Democratic Party lawmakers," and stressed that he had consistently supported the FTA for the national interest.
He added, "The orthodoxy of Roh Moo-hyun today is not Jung Chung-rae, Kim Min-seok, or Song Young-gil," saying, "The awakened citizens who pledge to protect and bring success to President Lee Jae-myung, the second Roh Moo-hyun, are the true orthodoxy."
In response, Jung immediately pushed back through social media, saying, "I have never uttered the word orthodoxy or its derivatives myself, nor do I intend to." Jung drew a line, saying, "I have never claimed to be the orthodoxy of any great president," adding, "I only said we should inherit the history of the four presidents Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun, and Moon Jae-in."
He continued, "I hope there will be no echoing of the media's framing that imagines and twists things I never even said myself into debates over whether someone is the orthodoxy or not," and stressed, "With President Lee Jae-myung, I am a comrade and a fellow soldier who broke through the oppression of Yoon Suk-yeol's prosecutorial dictatorship together."
