Democratic Party of Korea leader Jeong Cheong-rae issued an official apology on the 15th over the controversy surrounding his recent mention of former pro gamer Ma Jae-yoon. Jeong came under fire after referring to Ma, who was permanently banned for match-fixing, as a “legendary player” during his visit to G-STAR the previous day.

On this day, Jeong posted a statement on his social media titled, “My apologies to StarCraft e-sports fans.”

“I sincerely apologise for having mentioned a particular individual while listing legendary StarCraft players from our memories, and in doing so causing disappointment and hurt to fans,” he wrote.

He continued, “I made a serious mistake without realising it in the moment,” adding, “It was entirely my fault for not being more careful.”

Jeong went on to say, “Since the 17th National Assembly, I have worked for the development of e-sports,” and stressed, “I will make it up to you by contributing to the growth of the e-sports and game industry.” Previously, on the 14th, Jeong visited the G-STAR 2025 show floor at BEXCO in Haeundae-gu, Busan.

There, while speaking about efforts to support the growth of e-sports, he remarked, “It made me think about where players like Lim Yo-hwan, who once enjoyed worldwide fame, as well as Lee Yoon-yeol, Hong Jin-ho, Ma Jae-yoon, and Park Sung-joon are now and what they’re doing.”

However, Ma Jae-yoon, whom Jeong mentioned, was found guilty on match-fixing charges in 2010 and was permanently expelled by the Korea e-Sports Association. By contrast, others he named such as Lim Yo-hwan and Hong Jin-ho are still active as television personalities or professional poker players, while Lee Yoon-yeol is working as the CEO of a game company, remaining active even after retirement from professional play.

This article was translated from the original that appeared on INVEN.