[자료사진]
Former lawmaker Jeong Bong-ju, who sparked controversy with his so-called ‘crutch giveaway’ remark that belittled victims of wooden crate mines, announced that he would stop public activities for the time being, saying, “I sincerely apologize to the two victims.”
Former lawmaker Jeong Bong-ju issued a statement on social media this morning, saying, “I made a very inappropriate comment” regarding the wooden box mine accident on his podcast in 2017, and added, “Once again, I would like to thank the two victims who suffered an accident while protecting the country. “I bow my head in apology,” he said.
Former lawmaker Jeong said that at the time, Liberty Korea Party lawmaker Lee Jong-myeong held a press conference and demanded an apology, so he apologized to Lee over the phone. He also revealed that he could not personally apologize because he could not obtain the contact information of Sergeant Kim Jeong-won and former sergeant Ha Jae-heon, who were involved in the accident.
He then publicly apologized on his personal broadcast in 2017, and when his past remarks were covered again yesterday, he once again posted a post on social media acknowledging his mistake and apologizing. “I apologized for once again causing concern and hurt to the two of you.”
At the same time, he said, “I will acknowledge this negligence and reflect on myself,” and “I will suspend public election campaigns for the time being and suspend all broadcasting activities, including on YouTube.”
In 2017, former lawmaker Jeong said on his YouTube broadcast about ways to utilize North Korea’s ski resorts in connection with the Pyeongchang Olympics, “There’s something cool in the DMZ, ankle landmines,” and “We’re going into the DMZ and giving out prizes. We’ll give out a crutch to each person who steps on an ankle landmine.” “I give it to you,” he said.
Former lawmaker Jeong received the nomination by defeating incumbent lawmaker Park Yong-jin, who received a 30% deduction in the primary because he was in the bottom 10% in Gangbuk-eul, Seoul.
As controversy arose, the Democratic Party of Korea said that it was aware of the facts, and warned that it would take emergency disciplinary action, including cancellation of nominations, if the candidates caused controversy due to inappropriate words or actions.
However, a party official explained, “The issue of retroactive application to past controversies requires a separate judgment.”
