Ruling party leader apologizes over Shincheonji claim
Kim Min-seok apologized again after an internal party probe found no evidence for his claim that a religious sect had infiltrated the party.
South Korea's ruling Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok has apologized again for claims he made about a religious sect, the national news agency Yonhap reported on Friday.
Kim spoke at a meeting of the party's supreme council, saying he regretted raising concerns about religion's role in politics during the party convention.
His latest apology follows a closed-door apology earlier this week, after an internal party investigation found no proof for his earlier allegation.
He had claimed that followers of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a nonmainstream sect, colluded with party lawmakers to join the Democratic Party and influence the August leadership election.
Kim first made the allegations in July, a remark widely seen as aimed at former party leader Jung Chung-rae before the vote.
Jung and lawmakers close to him have called the claims baseless and politically motivated.
The main opposition People Power Party has demanded a joint prosecution and police investigation.
It pointed to its own past inquiry into a mass recruitment of Shincheonji members, which found around 56,000 church members were forced to join the party.
What comes next
Kim said he would focus on uniting the party and improving people's living conditions, while handling the issue through internal party channels.
