On the first day of the official campaign for the presidential election on the 12th, Kim Moon-soo, the People Power Party candidate, offered his first official apology regarding the declaration of martial law by former President Yoon Suk-yeol.
In an interview with Channel A that day, when asked, "Do you have any intention of officially apologizing for the martial law?", he said, "The people are experiencing great difficulties due to the martial law. I feel sorry for the citizens who are suffering from the pain caused by the martial law, including export and diplomatic relations."
He also expressed that if he had participated in the process of declaring martial law during the Yoon Suk-yeol administration as the Minister of Employment and Labor, he would not have supported it.
Kim noted, "If I become president, I will always complete democracy not through martial law but by communicating and persuading on any mistakes between the ruling and opposition parties, and through patience."
After concluding his campaign at the Seomun Market in Daegu, Kim also told reporters, "I have never supported the martial law from the beginning," adding, "We need to discuss how and to what extent to apologize with Kim Yong-tae, the Emergency Countermeasures Committee chair."
He explained that, "Due to the continuous impeachment attempts, special investigations, and the rejection of the Yellow Envelope Act proposed by the Democratic Party, the president made very extreme and arbitrary decisions," saying, "It is right to resolve political issues between the ruling and opposition parties through dialogue."
Kim, who is revealing his concept of a 'big tent', also shared his stance on Lee Jun-seok, the Reform Party candidate. Kim remarked, "I feel very sorry for the process that led to Lee Jun-seok leaving the party, and when we meet, I will do my best to ensure that such a thing does not happen again and to engage in dialogue so that we can move forward together."
He further stated, "Lee Jun-seok has served as our party's leader," adding, "Our party and its policies are not different at all. It is likely that Lee Jae-myung does not want to be elected either."