Opposition party blasts rival camp`s lawmaker for comments

The main opposition Democratic United Party urged the ruling Saenuri Party to apologize for the "shocking" comments made by the latter`s floor leader Lee Han-koo, who blasted the opposition party for helping to cause homicides in Korea.

Lee said, “The Democratic United Party’s repeating of the same old politics has driven our society to ascribe blame to others. This attitude has lead to shameless acts such as those done by the popular podcast `I Am a Cheater` or on social networking sites. Moreover, it could affect school violence and the occurrence of reckless homicides.” The lawmaker also criticized the opposition for repeating the same policies abhorred by the nation and for irritating the public the most.

The Democratic United Party immediately hit back at Lee, with spokesman Park Yong-jin saying, “It is beyond common sense that Rep. Lee linked indiscriminate homicides to the main opposition party, and he must be held responsible for what he said.”

“His turning the blame on to the main opposition party makes it hard to see that he understands the nation`s pain from such incidents,” Park said, adding, “He`s the one who was forced to resign when he re-tweeted reckless remarks on the late President Rho Moo-hyun. He shall be responsible for what he said.”

irun@donga.com