Chong Won-o, a Democratic Party of Korea preliminary candidate for Seoul mayor, apologized a day after remarks implying that the late former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon are "the same" sparked controversy.
On the 8th, the preliminary candidate Chong wrote on Facebook, "I extend a polite apology to those who were hurt by my remarks yesterday (the 7th)," adding, "I will always remain humble and be judged by Seoul's future and citizens' livelihoods."
He went on, "I spent more time by Mayor Park Won-soon's side than anyone and felt deep sadness as I watched his anguish," adding, "What I intended to say was that the Seoul mayor must focus solely on citizens' lives and Seoul's future, and that I, too, pledge to devote myself only to that responsibility."
The preliminary candidate Chong appeared on CBS Radio the previous day and said, "When someone in the mayor's office sets sights on the presidency, that's when misfortune begins," adding, "Former Mayor Park Won-soon and Mayor Oh Se-hoon are the same. Strange things start happening and they show strange stubbornness, and that is precisely because they were eyeing the presidency."
Preliminary candidates Park Ju-min and Jeon Hyun-hee, who are competing in the Seoul mayoral primary, strongly pushed back against the remarks. Even if Chong's comments were meant to say he would "focus on city governance," they argued, it was inappropriate to compare former Mayor Park and Mayor Oh.
On the same day on SBS Radio, the preliminary candidate Park said, "I cannot accept the assessment that (the former mayor Park) ruined city governance because, like Mayor Oh Se-hoon, he was distracted by the presidential race," adding, "I found it extremely shocking. Saying that was wrong."
The preliminary candidate Jeon said the previous day, "Preliminary candidate Chong's remark assessing former Mayor Park as 'the same' as Mayor Oh seriously damaged the deceased's honor and should rightly be withdrawn," adding, "I question his qualifications as the Democratic Party of Korea's Seoul mayoral candidate."