Rep. Cho Kyung-tae of the People Power Party visited the grave of former President Roh Moo-hyun in Bongha Village, Gimhae, on October 9. This visit is seen as a response to recent comments made by fellow party member Kim Tae-kyu during a National Assembly audit, where he mentioned the location of Roh's death.
In a press release, Cho stated, "Before the President today, I feel embarrassed and sorry, and I want to apologize on behalf of the reality of politics in South Korea."
Kim had sparked controversy during a recent National Assembly audit when he suggested, "Let’s create a truth about the 'Owl Rock'" while engaging in a heated exchange with ruling party lawmakers.
In relation to this, Cho announced his visit on Facebook the day before, expressing, "I feel a heavy sense of responsibility as a politician after seeing the mention of the location of former President Roh's death during the National Assembly audit." He emphasized, "While policies can be evaluated, we must not use a person's death as a political tool."
Cho, a six-term lawmaker who switched from the Democratic Party to the People Power Party, currently has his party membership suspended. He received a 30-month suspension from the party's ethics committee for pressuring the Democratic Party to defeat his party's candidate, Park Deok-heum, during the election of the National Assembly vice speaker in August.
Park Chung-kwon, the chief spokesperson for the People Power Party, commented on Cho's visit, stating, "The party does not issue positions on the activities of individual members." He reiterated that Cho's party membership is currently suspended due to the ethics committee's severe punishment.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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