A vehicle that carried Kim Min-seok, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, was parked in a hospital's emergency-patient-only parking area when he visited on the 18th to pay respects at the wake of fire lieutenant Kim Jin-seok, who died battling a factory fire in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. The party leader's chief of staff apologized immediately after the incident drew criticism.
Kim Tae-seon, a Democratic Party lawmaker who serves as chief of staff to the party leader, apologized on the 19th, saying, "There is no excuse for this, whatever the reason. It was my fault."
Writing on Facebook that day, Kim said, "The vehicle parked in the emergency-patient-only area during the visit to the late firefighter's wake belonged to my office."
"I sincerely apologize to the public for causing concern," Kim said, adding, "I will take particular care to ensure this never happens again."
A sign behind the vehicle carrying the party leader read: "This is a parking area reserved for emergency patients. Outpatients and inpatients are prohibited from parking here."