South Korean political parties on Tuesday urged former President Park Geun-hye to own up to her wrongdoing and sincerely apologize to the people.
"Former President Park must apologize to the people and promise to reveal the truth," Rep. Woo Sang-ho, floor leader of the Democratic Party, said at a meeting of party officials.
Woo's remarks came shortly after Park said she felt sorry to the people after arriving at the prosecutors' office in Seoul for questioning over a corruption scandal that led to her removal from office on March 10.
Former President Park Geun-hye (R) walks into the prosecutors' office in Seoul, South Korea on March 21, 2017, for questioning over a range of allegations that led to her March 10 removal from office. (Yonhap)
The whip of the single largest party here insisted Park may have appeared for questioning only because she had no other choice.
"I hope (she) will sincerely face the prosecution's investigation, unlike how she has been acting so far, and stand the historic trial," he said.
Moon Jae-in, the party's frontrunner in most polls on the May 9 presidential election, urged the former president to admit her wrongdoing and ask for the people's forgiveness.
"We hope former President Park will know that revealing all truth and asking for forgiveness is the least she can do for the people," Moon's spokesman Rep. Park Kwang-on said in a released statement.
Park's former ruling party declined to comment on the former president's summons.
"We have no announcement to make regarding the party's position," the Liberty Korea Party said.
However, party floor leader Chung Woo-taik later claimed all people must have felt sorry to see a former president summoned by the prosecution.
"Not only I but all people must have felt sorry to watch another former president and fourth in the country's history appear before the prosecution," he said while meeting with party officials.
"I sincerely wish such a tragedy will never be repeated," he added, urging the prosecution to show courtesy for the former president while questioning her.
The conservative Bareun Party, on the other hand, urged a thorough, yet fair investigation by the prosecution.
"We wish the prosecution's questioning (of Park) will put an end to the national divide and turmoil," party spokesman Rep. Oh Shin-hwan said at a press briefing.
The Bareun Party was created by lawmakers who defected from the former ruling party and helped impeach the former president for her alleged involvement in the corruption scandal surrounding her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil.
"We wish (Park) will sincerely face interrogation to reveal objective truth that all people can accept," Oh said. "That will be the least she can do as the former president who caused all this trouble."
The spokesman also expressed regret that the former president has never offered any sincere apology. (Yonhap)