Roh supporters demand conservative governor step down over defaming remark

Published : Mar 3, 2017 - 15:10 Updated : Mar 3, 2017 - 15:10

Supporters of former late President Roh Moo-hyun on Friday demanded South Gyeongsang Gov. Hong Joon-pyo apologize and step down for making disparaging remarks about the symbolic figure of the liberal bloc.

South Gyeongsang Gov. Hong Joon-pyo (Yonhap)

Hong, a potential presidential candidate for the ruling Liberty Korea Party, said recently that Roh "killed himself after receiving bribes."

"We are angered at the absurd remark by Hong, and we plan to take strong action against it," the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation said in a statement. "Hong should apologize and leave all public posts."

Roh, who led the country from 2003 to 2008, killed himself by jumping from a mountainside precipice above his provincial hometown in May 2009, amid a months-long corruption probe of his immediate family. He was 62.

His aides and followers hold a powerful presence in the liberal opposition bloc. His close allies Moon Jae-in and Ahn Hee-jung are among the favored presidential hopefuls. (Yonhap)