Cho Kuk, former leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party, speaks at a workshop for winners of the June 3 local elections held at Breve Gwangju by Lotte Hotel in Chipyeong-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju, on June 17. [Yonhap]
Cho Kuk, former leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party, speaks at a workshop for winners of the June 3 local elections held at Breve Gwangju by Lotte Hotel in Chipyeong-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju, on June 17. [Yonhap]

Cho Kuk, former leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party, asked his supporters Thursday to remove his name from their fan group as soon as possible.

In a Facebook post that morning, Cho said he had noticed that the activities of members of a group supporting him during the party's recent leadership convention were being misread as reflecting his own intentions.

He said the group's existence was also creating a sense of distance and awkwardness between those who belonged to it and those who did not. "Regardless of the warm feelings of the majority of members, I have concluded that this phenomenon must be blocked at the root," he said.

Cho called on the group to change its name and to remove any clauses related to "support for Cho Kuk" that he said were written into its internal rules.

"I believe our comradeship can only be built properly if this request is accepted," he added.

Cho said he would focus his political efforts on shaping the future agenda for Korean society in the wake of the insurrection, working with a broader range of citizens to find solutions. "I hope you will gladly walk that path alongside me," he said.


sunpine@heraldcorp.com