Choi Kang-wook, head of the Democratic Party of Korea's training institute, expressed his intention to apologize regarding the second round of victimization controversy surrounding the Rebuilding Korea Party's sexual misconduct incident.
On the afternoon of the 4th, Choi posted on his Facebook, stating, "I sincerely apologize for the burden and hurt caused to the parties involved, regardless of the circumstances or reasons behind my comments expressed during the Q&A session following the lecture on August 31, which I promised several months ago."
He noted, "It is clearly untrue that I dismissed the mental suffering of the Spokesperson as trivial or belittled those who raised related issues, which is unrelated to my true intent," adding, "I believe it is necessary to maintain harmony among party members, and there should be no situation where the party is shaken due to intensified debates. This ultimately led to my use of excessive expressions and examples."
He also apologized regarding the second round of victimization controversy, stating, "I humbly accept the criticism that it may have been 'secondary harm' directed at the victim," and added, "I sincerely hope you understand that this opinion, expressed in consideration of the overall position of the Reform Party and its members, was intended to convey the need for unity within the party, without any intent to disregard or belittle any individual in particular."
He stated, "I will sincerely respond to the questions from the party leadership and the ethics committee and await their judgment," and added, "I will also reflect carefully once again on my words and actions to convey my true feelings honestly."
It was later revealed that Choi made remarks that seemed to minimize the incident, saying, "Honestly, is it really a matter of life and death?" when asked about the Rebuilding Korea Party's sexual misconduct incident during a question session at the Reform Party's Daejeon-Sejong Political Academy on August 31. The controversy escalated after Kang Mi-jeong, spokesperson for the Rebuilding Korea Party, mentioned this fact during a press conference announcing her departure from the party, leading Democratic Party of Korea leader Jeong Cheong-rae to order an emergency investigation by the ethics committee.