After months of being beaten down by her opponents for her historical interpretations, presidential candidate Park Geun-hye said Friday she wished to let her late father go and take the responsibility of the pains caused by his authoritarian rule.

Attending the 33rd memorial ceremony of President Park Chung-hee’s death, the ruling Saenuri Party’s flag bearer apologized to the victims of her father’s iron-fisted rule.

“I wish to return the accomplishments achieved in my father’s era to the people, and bear the pain and scars caused during the period,” Park said in her speech.

“I sincerely apologize to those who have suffered through the pain and damage.”

Her remarks came amid looming criticism over her press conference Sunday denying her association with Jeongsu Scholarship Foundation slammed for being the remnant of Park Chung-hee’s dictatorial rule. The foundation was hit recently upon revelation that its chief Choi Phil-lip arranged to use the equity sale of MBC to allegedly help Park’s campaign.

The presidential frontrunner appeared pressed to get out of the history-related quagmire.

“I am going to exert all my efforts to heal the pain and the scars and open a new Republic of Korea,” Park added.

But Park also took time to reiterate her support of her father, explaining that her father was a leader of a destitute and powerless country and that it was his best value and philosophy to get the country out of poverty.

Park Chung-hee was assassinated on Oct. 26, 1979 by his intelligence chief, putting an end to his 18-year-long junta.

Shunning the opponents’ calls for her to acknowledge her purported ties with the foundation named after her father and mother, Park has been stepping up her campaign amongst the younger generation, having lunches with three different groups of office workers.

Park’s progressive rival Rep. Moon Jae-in, meanwhile, visited the patriots’ graveyard in Hyochang Park in central Seoul the same day and paid his respects to the graves of Ahn Jung-geun, a Korean independence fighter, and Kim Gu, a renowned leader of the Korean independence movement.

“I will try so that the memorial projects for Ahn are promoted jointly among the two Koreas,” Moon said.

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