Kim Min-seok apologizes again over Shincheonji controversy as intraparty rift persists

Democratic Party of Korea leader Kim Min-seok issued another public apology Friday over allegations that Shincheonji church members joined the party en masse, but supporters of former party leader Jung Chung-rae pushed back, demanding "commensurate accountability" and keeping the intraparty feud alive.

Speaking at the party's Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly, Kim said he was "once again sorry to all those who were hurt during the process of raising strong concerns and warnings about religious interference in politics at the last party convention, and to all party members who love this party."

Kim added that he would "resolve the issues raised through the party's self-purification efforts and institutional reforms, and focus on party unity and people's livelihoods." It was his third apology over the Shincheonji controversy. He first apologized at a closed-door caucus Wednesday, then again Thursday on the party's YouTube channel "Minti 07," saying, "I feel sorry and grateful to party members, and frankly, I feel a great sense of discomfort."

Along with the apologies, Kim had proposed that the results of the party's internal investigation into the Shincheonji matter — originally set to be made public — be made available for individual private review instead. Under that arrangement, National Assembly members and regional committee chairs may review the full investigation findings from Friday through Nov. 13. Chief Spokesperson Park Sung-jun told reporters after the Supreme Council meeting that "there was a general sense that, with the party leader having issued another public apology, things should move toward a resolution."

Despite Kim's repeated apologies, resistance centered on Jung's supporters has continued. Supreme Council Chair Choi Min-hee said at the meeting that the prevailing misreading of Kim's intentions was that "there must be something enormously significant, and if it's announced, former leader Jung and the lawmakers who received Shincheonji support will have no choice but to leave the party — so the leader apologized because he feared the Democratic Party's seat count would fall below 150."

Choi added that "on the other side, people are talking about legal action," calling it a sign that "persuasion has been insufficient." She said her preferred outcome would be for Kim and former leader Jung to meet, discuss the matter in depth, explain it to party members, and "offer a sincere apology and words of comfort to members together."

Supreme Council member Park Seon-won, who led the party membership review task force that conducted the Shincheonji investigation, said he had "so much to say as the head of the investigation," but added that "as has been the case until now and will continue to be, I will not say a single word unless the Supreme Council makes a separate decision," declining to elaborate.

Jung's supporters have insisted the investigation results should be made fully public. Choi said, "If lawmakers review the findings and determine there is no significant problem, I believe party members should also be guaranteed the right to know."

Supreme Council member Lee Sung-yoon also called for full disclosure, saying the task force findings on "the source of the Shincheonji data, the timing of membership registration, and whether the joining was organized" should be released to party members in their entirety. Lee further demanded a direct and sincere apology to affected members and "commensurate accountability" for what he described as conduct that had "insulted and wounded party members with baseless Shincheonji allegations, put our party at risk of being labeled an unconstitutional organization, and handed the opposition a pretext to call for a criminal investigation into our party's Shincheonji ties."