Published : 2012-11-26 17:57
Updated : 2012-11-26 17:57
Updated : 2012-11-26 17:57
The ruling Saenuri Party’s presidential candidate Park Geun-hye made yet another gaffe Sunday when she accidentally announced she was stepping down as the president.
“Today, after sharing joy and sorrow with the people for 15 years, I am resigning from the presidency,” she said during a press conference held at Saenuri headquarters.
It was an odd statement, considering that the 60-year-old politician -- despite her position as a prominent figure within the parliament and her party -- had never actually been appointed the leader of South Korea.
After a few painstaking seconds filled with stunned mumbling from the audience, Park realized her mistake.
“I am resigning from the Parliament. What did I just say? Right, I made a mistake,” she added with a laugh.
Hwang Dae-won, deputy spokesperson for Democratic United Party presidential candidate Moon Jae’s campaign team, said the gaffe highlights Park’s “imperial sense of privilege.”
“(Park) cannot even grasp what she is saying. When someone who does not even know what she said becomes a president and is entrusted with the tasks of diplomacy, defense and internal affairs, the future of South Korea will plummet into darkness,” he added.
While Park’s blunder seems harmless and innocent this time, it was not the first time she said the wrong thing at the wrong time.
In September, she held a press conference to publicly apologize for her father Park Chung-hee’s 18-year iron-fisted rule. During the conference she mistakenly pronounced the Inhyeokdang incident -- which led to the wrongful execution of eight democratic activists in 1974 -- as “Minhyeokdang,” and failed to recognize her mistake.
The main opposition Democratic United Party fiercely reprimanded the mistake, saying the fact Park that said the wrong name and failed to realize it brings into question the sincerity of the apology. It also pointed out that despite Park’s apologies, she still has not visited the victims’ families in person.
Park had caused furor earlier when she said Inhyeokdang incident had two rulings, and the incident should be left to be decided by history and the people.
Contrary to her claims, however, the final ruling for the incident in 2007 clearly states that the executed activists were innocent.
Park fumbled once again in October, when she wrongly quoted a court ruling on the controversial founding of Jeongsu Scholarship Foundation, which was created by combining an existing foundation established by Busan-based businessman Kim Ji-tae with additional donations.
She claimed during a press conference that a Seoul court ruled that Kim’s assets were voluntarily donated. After the event was over however, a close aid of Park seemed to whisper something to her, and she returned to the podium to retract her words.
“I said there was no coercion, but I seemed to have been mistaken. According to Yonhap News, the court did say Kim gave up his stocks due to coercion,” she said.
By Yoon Min-sik
(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)
“Today, after sharing joy and sorrow with the people for 15 years, I am resigning from the presidency,” she said during a press conference held at Saenuri headquarters.
It was an odd statement, considering that the 60-year-old politician -- despite her position as a prominent figure within the parliament and her party -- had never actually been appointed the leader of South Korea.
After a few painstaking seconds filled with stunned mumbling from the audience, Park realized her mistake.
“I am resigning from the Parliament. What did I just say? Right, I made a mistake,” she added with a laugh.
Hwang Dae-won, deputy spokesperson for Democratic United Party presidential candidate Moon Jae’s campaign team, said the gaffe highlights Park’s “imperial sense of privilege.”
“(Park) cannot even grasp what she is saying. When someone who does not even know what she said becomes a president and is entrusted with the tasks of diplomacy, defense and internal affairs, the future of South Korea will plummet into darkness,” he added.
While Park’s blunder seems harmless and innocent this time, it was not the first time she said the wrong thing at the wrong time.
In September, she held a press conference to publicly apologize for her father Park Chung-hee’s 18-year iron-fisted rule. During the conference she mistakenly pronounced the Inhyeokdang incident -- which led to the wrongful execution of eight democratic activists in 1974 -- as “Minhyeokdang,” and failed to recognize her mistake.
The main opposition Democratic United Party fiercely reprimanded the mistake, saying the fact Park that said the wrong name and failed to realize it brings into question the sincerity of the apology. It also pointed out that despite Park’s apologies, she still has not visited the victims’ families in person.
Park had caused furor earlier when she said Inhyeokdang incident had two rulings, and the incident should be left to be decided by history and the people.
Contrary to her claims, however, the final ruling for the incident in 2007 clearly states that the executed activists were innocent.
Park fumbled once again in October, when she wrongly quoted a court ruling on the controversial founding of Jeongsu Scholarship Foundation, which was created by combining an existing foundation established by Busan-based businessman Kim Ji-tae with additional donations.
She claimed during a press conference that a Seoul court ruled that Kim’s assets were voluntarily donated. After the event was over however, a close aid of Park seemed to whisper something to her, and she returned to the podium to retract her words.
“I said there was no coercion, but I seemed to have been mistaken. According to Yonhap News, the court did say Kim gave up his stocks due to coercion,” she said.
By Yoon Min-sik
(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)
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