Jung Chung-rae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, apologized on the 15th, a day after mentioning the name of a player who had been expelled over past match-fixing charges while visiting the international game exhibition "G-Star 2025" in Busan.
At the "On-site roundtable for K-game future strategy" held the previous day at the Busan Exhibition & Convention Center (BEXCO) Exhibition Hall 1, Jung noted that he had played a role in passing the Game Industry Promotion Act during the 17th National Assembly, saying, "Back then, I keep thinking about players like Lim Yo-hwan, who enjoyed worldwide fame, as well as Lee Yoon-yeol, Hong Jin-ho, Ma Jae-yoon, and Park Sung-joo."
He then asked himself, "But where are these players now and what are they doing," and added, "I am well aware of the reality that this has not actually taken root within the institutional framework." Regarding the remarks, criticism emerged online over Jung mentioning Ma Jae-yoon, whose conviction on past match-fixing charges was finalized.
Jung said on Facebook that day, "I sincerely apologize for disappointing and hurting fans by mentioning a particular individual while calling out StarCraft players from memory during my visit to the G-Star site yesterday."
He added, "As someone who loves esports and was the one who first introduced and passed the Game Industry Promotion Act as the lead sponsor, I tried to express my desire to reminisce about StarCraft and help further develop esports, but inadvertently made a big mistake against my intention."
Jung went on to say, "It was my oversight and fault for not looking carefully," stressing, "I will make amends by contributing to the development of the game industry."