Democratic Party leader posts apology on social media Sunday

Interruption at North Jeolla Province festival sparks 'excessive protocol' controversy

Democratic Party of Korea leader Kim Min-seok greets the crowd at the opening ceremony of the 21st Sunchang Jang Festival at Sunchang Traditional Gochujang Folk Village in Sunchang-gun, North Jeolla Province, on Thursday. [North Jeolla Province]
Democratic Party of Korea leader Kim Min-seok greets the crowd at the opening ceremony of the 21st Sunchang Jang Festival at Sunchang Traditional Gochujang Folk Village in Sunchang-gun, North Jeolla Province, on Thursday. [North Jeolla Province]

Democratic Party of Korea leader Kim Min-seok has apologized for taking the stage during a singer's performance at a regional festival.

Kim posted an apology Sunday on his X account, formerly Twitter, writing that "an unfortunate situation arose during a performance at the Sunchang-gun festival." "I sincerely apologize to singer HYNN and to all the audience members for the inconvenience," he wrote.

Kim said he had indicated he did not wish to greet the crowd during the performance and was looking around the venue when the emcee suddenly called his name, prompting him to take the stage. "Once again, I am deeply sorry to the singer and the audience for the inconvenience," he added.

Earlier, Kim had been introduced by the emcee and stepped onto the stage to greet the audience while singer HYNN was performing at the opening ceremony of the 21st Sunchang Jang Festival on Thursday. HYNN stepped off the stage as Kim approached the microphone. The performance resumed after Kim finished his remarks and left the stage. Video of the incident later circulated on YouTube and other platforms, sparking controversy over what critics called excessive protocol afforded to a politician.


ken@heraldcorp.com