Song Young-gil, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party of Korea, issued an apology to fellow party member Jeong Cheong-rae on June 30 for falsely claiming that Jeong did not attend the funeral of former President Roh Moo-hyun. Song had stated in a radio interview on June 29 that he did not recall seeing Jeong at the funeral on May 23, 2009, implying Jeong had 'turned his back' on Roh. Jeong immediately refuted this, explaining he was in China on the day of Roh's passing and attended the funeral the following day. Song acknowledged Jeong's explanation and corrected his statement, offering an apology via Facebook.
Despite the apology, Song continued to challenge Jeong's claim to be a 'Roh Moo-hyun Kid' or a successor to Roh's political legacy. Song argued that it was inappropriate for Jeong, who he described as having been close to former lawmaker Jeong Dong-young's faction and distant from 'Nosamo' (a fan club for Roh Moo-hyun), to invoke Roh's legitimacy to attack other candidates. Song further pointed out that Jeong Cheong-rae was a leading opponent of the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (FTA) during Roh's presidency, a policy Song consistently supported. Song emphasized his belief that Roh saw trade openness as essential for progressive reformists to remain a mainstream force in history.
Song Young-gil stated that the true 'Roh Moo-hyun legitimacy' now lies with 'awakened citizens' who are committed to protecting and ensuring the success of President Lee Jae-myung, whom he referred to as 'the second Roh Moo-hyun,' and preventing a repeat of the tragedy that befell Roh. Song made these remarks while en route to Bongha Village in Gimhae, Gyeongsangnam-do, where Roh Moo-hyun is buried, to pay his respects. Han Min-soo, a lawmaker and former chief of staff to Jeong Cheong-rae, criticized Song's continued 'legitimacy' attacks, urging him not to turn the upcoming party convention into a 'regressive' event.