인천 아파트서 6살 아이 추락사…경찰 수사 나서

Former 국민의힘 vice chairman 김종인 stated that listening to the words of the same kind of politician like himself would make it increasingly difficult to gain public trust, regarding the conduct of 오정석 member of parliament who was not called to account for misrepresenting the 5·18 democratic movement during a national forum organized by 오정석 and New History National Movement Party. 김 전 위원장 was the first person to apologize on their knees at the 광주 5·18 Mixture 묘지 in 2020 during his time as Future Unity Party's (predecessor of 국민의힘) vice chairman.

On 20th August, he appeared on CBS Radio's 'Park Seok-tae's News Show' and expressed his dissatisfaction with the notion that he is only now reiterating the significance of 5·18. During a forum he co-organized on 13th August, 오정석 and New History National Movement Party presented controversial statements regarding the 5·18 movement, including dismissing the tragedy as a planned genocide by the government and suggesting that it was necessary to isolate and divide the public after the event.

He argued that the motives behind 오정석's actions were to create issues for himself and gain attention. Regarding 오정석's claim of "freedom of speech," 김 전 위원장 asserted that this was a separate issue. He had previously apologized for his role in the 1980 광주 민주화운동 suppression as a member of the National Security Advisor Special Emergency Council under the military government, stating that he was unable to forgive the actions of those who opposed the military regime.

He reaffirmed his commitment to honoring the spirit of the 광주 민주화운동 during his last visit to 광주 in March 2021.