During a press conference at the party's headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, he said Yoon's Dec. 3 declaration of martial law was a "wrong and inappropriate" measure, which caused "great confusion and inconvenience to the public and hurt party members who have upheld the constitutional order of liberal democracy."
"We bear a heavy responsibility for failing to fulfill our role," Jang said. He then vowed to reflect deeply on past mistakes and to renew both himself and his party.
Jang's apology came about four months after he was elected party leader in August last year, amid internal calls by some party members that the conservative party should distance itself from Yoon ahead of local elections in June to avoid another rout.
He added that the party would consider changing its name to "reestablish its values and direction," a common strategy political parties often resort to in order to rebrand and regain public support.
But it remains to be seen whether the PPP will be able to recover from its dismal public support and win over voters, especially after far-right YouTuber Ko Sung-kook joined the party as a member the previous day.
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