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Lee Jae-myung (left), chief of the main opposition Democratic Party, shakes hands with European Union Ambassador to South Korea Maria Castillo Fernandez during their meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul on Tuesday. (Yonhap) |
The spokesman of the main opposition Democratic Party has apologized for misquoting European Union Ambassador Maria Castillo Fernandez during her meeting with party leader Lee Jae-myung earlier this week.
The EU envoy met with the opposition leader in a closed-door meeting Tuesday and discussed issues ranging from North Korea's intensifying military threats to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Following their meeting, Democratic Party spokesperson Rep. Kim Eui-kum told reporters that the ambassador compared the preceding and incumbent governments' response to Pyongyang's provocations, saying there was no channel for dialogue at the moment.
The EU envoy voiced regret to Seoul's foreign ministry on how her remarks were misquoted.
Kim issued an apology late Wednesday.
"During a briefing after the closed-door meeting, I quoted the EU ambassador differently from what she said," the Democratic Party lawmaker said. "There was no conversation about comparing the responses of former and incumbent governments."
"I deeply apologize to the EU ambassador for causing confusion," he said. (Yonhap)
