apology

Jan. 13 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s People Power Party has shown little sign of regaining support despite an apology and a reform package tied to the Dec. 3 emergency decree, with polls showing the gap widening between the conservative party and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea.

Political observers said Tuesday that public sentiment appears to be moving in favor of President Lee Jae-myung and the Democratic Party, while the People Power Party has stagnated or slipped in successive surveys.

In a poll commissioned by the Energy Economy Newspaper and conducted by Realmeter from Sunday through Thursday among 2,530 voters nationwide age 18 and older, party support stood at 47.8% for the Democratic Party and 33.5% for the People Power Party. The Democratic Party rose 2.1 percentage points from the prior week, while the People Power Party fell 2.0 points, the poll found.

Analysts cited what they called a “Yoon Suk-yeol factor” as a key reason the conservative party has struggled to draw a positive response. While People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk’s reform plan included an apology over the martial law declaration, critics said it did not clearly address how the party would define its relationship with former President Yoon Suk-yeol.

They said the plan offered no direct message on accountability, political separation or future ties beyond expressing regret and leaving past issues to the courts and “history’s judgment.”

Some observers also questioned whether Jang’s personal reform push has enough political impact to shift voter views. The measures he announced last week focused on an apology over martial law, a youth-centered party vision and a proposed party name change, but did not spell out what the party would abandon or where it would draw clear lines.

Political commentator Park Sang-byeong said an apology alone is not the same as taking responsibility, adding that he saw no visible political decision-making behind the message.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

Dec. 28 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s ruling Democratic Party of Korea on Saturday urged the opposition People Power Party to apologize for what it called past efforts to suppress critical media through high-value lawsuits, before criticizing a proposed revision to the Press Arbitration Act.

At a press conference, Democratic Party spokesperson Kim Hyun-jung said the party had focused on “fact-setting” by respecting procedures such as correction and rebuttal reports, while accusing the People Power Party of being “obsessed with shutting down media outlets through massive lawsuits.”

“The very forces that trampled on the press with physical force and money are now talking about ‘freedom,'” Kim said. “Before attacking the revision to the Press Arbitration Act, they should first apologize for using money to trample press freedom.”

Her remarks came after the People Power Party criticized the Democratic Party-backed bill as a “gag law,” arguing it would create a climate that silences both the public and the press.

The Democratic Party countered by citing what it described as examples of media suppression under former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s administration. Kim said certain media outlets were barred from boarding the presidential plane and were threatened with lawsuits over reporting on vulgar language, which she described as attempts to silence the press through both direct and financial pressure.

She added that data from the Press Arbitration Commission showed all 65 high-value damage claims exceeding 50 million won (about $37,000) filed through September this year were brought by the People Power Party, with none resulting in court-ordered damages.

“Even a child can tell what real oppression is,” Kim said. “The Democratic Party will push ahead with media reform to protect press freedom and the public’s right to know.”

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.