Rep. Moon Hee-sang, the interim chief of the main opposition party, apologized on Monday for the alleged involvement of an opposition lawmaker in an assault case.
New Politics Alliance for Democracy proportional representative Kim Hyun is alleged to have been involved in the assault of a substitute driver and two passersby by family members of Sewol victims. Substitute drivers provide driving services to those under the influence of alcohol.
After drinking with Kim near the National Assembly building last month, the relatives allegedly beat the driver when he told the lawmaker he would leave because he could not wait any longer.
The passersby were allegedly beaten as they tried to help the driver.
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| Kim Hyun |
“Rep. Kim Hyun devoted her all to healing the pain and sorrow of the Sewol families,” Moon said during a party meeting, referring to the 6,825-ton ferry that sank off the country’s southwest coast on April 16.
“As the mother of a daughter in college, she was always by the side of the bereaved families who lost their precious children.
“However, regardless of what the reason may have been, I would like to offer a sincere apology from the bottom of my heart to the people over the fact that one of our party’s lawmakers caused trouble. I am sorry.”
Kim issued an apology on Sept. 24 after being questioned by the police as a witness in the case. Her status in the case has since been altered to that of a suspect after a nongovernmental organization filed a criminal complaint against her.
The tragedy left more than 300 people dead or missing, most of them high school students on a field trip. Critics argue that the government’s poor initial response to the disaster contributed to the high death toll.
The opposition party has negotiated on behalf of the victims’ families with the ruling Saenuri Party to pass a bill aimed at determining the truth behind the disaster.
By Choi He-suk and news reports
(cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)
