A close aide to Saenuri Party presidential nominee Park Geun-hye stirred controversy after he insulted journalists during a dinner with drinks and described Park’s political aim as “to redeem her father’s honor” late Sunday night

Rep. Kim Jae-won, a second-term lawmaker who was designated as the party’s spokesman earlier in the day, hosted a dinner with several journalists,

Under the influence of alcohol, he reportedly commented, “The reason why Park is in politics is to redeem her father’s honor.”

The remarks, considered sensitive amid elevated criticism against the presidential candidate’s historical perception, were soon delivered by the attending reporters to their superiors, who then reportedly tried to confirm them with other members of Park’s camp.

Upon receiving a reproaching phone call from an unidentified member for making such remarks, Kim, reportedly drunk, lashed out at the reporters, grilling them to identify the person that relayed his comments outside.

Kim’s outburst, reported by several media outlets thereafter, dealt another blow to the former chairwoman whose popularity declined over the dispute on her historical perception and a series of corruption allegations surrounding key party members.

Kim appeared on a morning radio interview on Monday in an attempt to dampen the backlash.

“I am ashamed. It is my fault, and it is true that I lost my composure at the time,” Kim said.

He also denied making the comments about Park and her father, saying that he was merely commenting how there were such views when Park first entered politics some 15 years ago.

The Saenuri Party, meanwhile, deferred the formal confirmation of Kim’s designation as spokesman during the party’s Supreme Council meeting Monday morning.

By Lee Joo-hee (jhl@heraldcorp.com)