The article said Lee's apology for the scandals of his families, relatives and close confidants at Chongwadae lacked sincerity.

The article continued:

Lee evaded the responsibility, saying that he worked with the firm resolve to practice clean politics from the first, it seems like sky falls and he would work with sincerity with determination to do his best.

The opposition party and civic and social organizations denounced his remarks as "spurious apology" and "product of arrogant politics" by a man "obsessed with power".

A Seoul citizen demanded Lee make an apology in a responsible manner as he let the scandals of his families and relatives and close confidants break out in a scale incomparable with those in the successive regimes, worsened the people's livelihood with the big business-centered economic policy, violated democracy through the moves to put media under control and increased the war crisis through the policy for confrontation with compatriots.

It is the unanimous demand of south Koreans that a thorough investigation into those scandals should be made and a fair punishment and responsibility be followed to ensure the sincerity of his apology.