Jeong Cheong-rae, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, apologized on behalf of the party for the distress caused to the victims and the public by the remarks made by Choi Kang-wook, former head of education at the party, concerning a sexual misconduct case involving the Innovation Party. Jeong stated that the Ethics Tribunal would take appropriate action regarding the incident.
During a Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly, Jeong emphasized his commitment to strengthening the party’s discipline to prevent such issues in the future.
Choi Kang-wook faced criticism for comments made during a lecture at an Innovation Party event in Daejeon and Sejong Cities on August 31st. In a leaked recording, Choi appeared to downplay the severity of the misconduct case and used derogatory language, referring to the people raising concerns as “pigs and dogs.”
As the controversy unfolded, Jeong instructed the party’s Ethics and Inspection Team to conduct an urgent investigation into Choi’s actions on September 4th, led by Park Kyun-taek, who conducted a face-to-face investigation with Choi the following day. On September 7th, Choi announced his resignation from his position via Facebook, and on the same day, Jeong referred him to the Ethics Tribunal.