Kim Min-seok Takes Stage During Singer's Performance, Apologizes Amid Controversy

Kim Min-seok, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, has apologized after going onstage to deliver greetings during a singer's performance at a local festival.

Kim posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account today (October 18), "During a festival performance in Sunchang County, an unfortunate situation occurred involving the singer and the audience," adding, "I apologize to singer HYNN and the audience for causing discomfort."

According to political circles, on October 15, Kim went onstage during a performance by singer HYNN (Park Hye-won) at the opening ceremony of the Sunchang Fermented Sauce Festival in North Jeolla Province to greet the audience, and the performance resumed after Kim stepped down.

Regarding the incident, Kim explained the circumstances, saying, "I had stated my intention not to deliver greetings because a performance was underway, but while looking around, the emcee suddenly called my name, which led me to go up."

In response, the People Power Party criticized it as an "abuse of power and intrusion."

Choi Soo-jin, senior floor spokesperson, criticized in a commentary that day, "They abused a festival meant for citizens to enjoy as a campaign stop to scatter their party politicians' name tags," adding, "That overbearing attitude of shaking the rule of law by threatening to impeach the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is now violently encroaching upon citizens' daily lives and the realm of popular culture."

As the fallout grew, the Sunchang Fermented Sauce Festival Committee posted on the festival's website that day, "Due to an error by the organizers, guest greetings took place during the performance," adding, "We deeply apologize for the lack of smooth proceedings."

The committee also bowed in apology, saying, "We apologize to singer Park Hye-won, her fans, and all visitors," adding, "We also apologize to Democratic Party of Korea Leader Kim Min-seok for causing unintended controversy."

Meanwhile, HYNN stated through her agency, New Order Entertainment, "Various situations arise when doing live performances," adding, "Going forward, I will do my best to sing in any situation."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.