Rep. Park Jie-won, the interim chief of the People’s Party, threatened Thursday to hold a parliamentary hearing over a former presidential secretary’s alleged attempt to censor South Korea’s public broadcaster in its coverage of the Sewol disaster in 2014.

“Cheong Wa Dae should apologize for the intervention in media coverage,” Park said during a meeting of the National Assembly’s third-biggest party. “Otherwise, opposition parties will seek parliamentary measures to get to the bottom (of the scandal).”

In a phone conversation leaked last week, former presidential press secretary Rep. Lee Jung-hyun demanded KBS broadcasting director Kim Shi-gon revise a news story about the ferry disaster.

In the recording, Lee of the ruling Saenuri Party asked the news director to “remove” and “rerecord” the report because it could paint a negative picture of now-defunct Korea Coast Guard, which was tasked with the rescue operation. The Coast Guard’s lackluster response to the disaster had sparked public outrage and led President Park Geun-hye to disband it later.

The news director, who left his post after the disaster, claimed Wednesday that he was forced to resign under pressure from KBS chief Gil Hwan-young who, according to Kim, said that the decision was the “intent” of President Park Geun-hye.

Since the allegations surfaced, Lee has insisted that the conversation was part of his job as a press secretary.

Despite the controversy, Lee announced Thursday his bid for the party’s chairmanship.

“There is only one purpose to my bid. I will change the politics of the Republic of Korea,” Lee said in a press conference. “I will protect the country, protect the people, and protect the values of the Republic of Korea,” Lee said.

This is his third bid to become chair of the ruling party. The other candidates are fifth-termer Rep. Lee Joo-young and third-termer Rep. Kim Yong-tae. Kim is the only candidate outside the Pro-Park faction. The chairperson will be elected at the party’s national caucus on Aug. 9.

The new leadership will be elected in lieu of simmering in-house competition among potential candidates for next year’s presidential election and amid the looming lame duck period of President Park.

Lee Jung-hyun, who hails from Gokseong, South Jeolla Province, is considered a trusted mouthpiece of the president. The third-termer famously cried in a television interview during the 2012 presidential race while defending Park from critics of her political disposition in relation to her late father and former President Park Chung-hee.

Park’s campaign four years ago picked up pace after a series of setbacks, after Lee joined the campaign team as head of communications. He first joined the National Assembly as a proportional representative in 2008. He has also served as Park’s senior secretary for political affairs. Lee won his latest term in his hometown that is part of a region traditionally considered anti-Saenuri.

By Yeo Jun-suk (jasonyeo@heraldcorp.com)