ⓒKBS News

President Moon Jae-in has apologized to the South Korean people for the recent leak of classified information about his telephone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump.

"A scandalous event took place in which classified diplomatic information was leaked and used in political wrangling. There is no excuse for this. [On behalf of] the government, [I] would like to apologize for an official's leak of classified information."

During a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Moon addressed the controversial disclosure by Rep. Khang Hyo-shang of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party(LKP).

After getting the details of the May seventh phone conversation from a diplomat at the South Korean embassy in Washington, Khang criticized the government, revealing Moon's request for a visit by Trump to Seoul this month, a visit that did not materialize.

"I would like to express deep regret regarding the behavior of a party that is making even a diplomatically sensitive presidential phone call a topic of political wrangling, and defending it as  'whistleblowing' for public interest or the public's right to know. I ask the party to at least respect the fundamentals of state governance and common sense as it has been a ruling party and is seeking to become one again."

After Moon issued his remarks, Rep. Khang said during a party meeting on Wednesday that he had to let the public know about how South Korea is being excluded while the U.S. and Japan are collaborating. He stressed that it is the opposition party's responsibility to reveal the mistakes of the ruling party and the government.

Despite this, the Foreign Ministry on Wednesday filed criminal complaints against both the diplomat and Khang. The ruling Democratic Party also took the case to the parliamentary ethics panel.