Prime Minister Han Seung-sook and independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon clashed during a government question session in the National Assembly on September 10 over allegations regarding the involvement of a Prime Minister's Office staff member in a press conference. Lawmaker Han accused the staff member of asking questions at his press conference without disclosing their identity, raising suspicions of 'surveillance of opposition lawmakers.' Prime Minister Han responded that if any inappropriate actions are confirmed, measures will be taken, but he refuted the surveillance claims as excessive.
During the session, Lawmaker Han raised concerns about the staff member participating in the Q&A session as if they were an ordinary citizen. He pointed out that the staff member's phone screen displayed a Telegram chat titled 'Prime Minister + Key Officials,' suggesting possible directives from the Prime Minister's Office.
In response, Prime Minister Han denied any direct orders. However, he stated that if the staff member's actions are confirmed as inappropriate, necessary actions would be taken.
The two sides also debated whether the incident could be classified as 'surveillance.' When Lawmaker Han mentioned the possibility of the Prime Minister's Office surveilling opposition lawmakers, Prime Minister Han countered that labeling questions asked in a public setting as surveillance is inappropriate.
The atmosphere in the assembly grew tense during the exchange. Lawmaker Han, facing protests from Democratic Party members, retorted, asking, 'Did you come to a baseball game?' and urged them to 'be quiet,' escalating the verbal sparring.
Later, in a question-and-answer session with Democratic Party member Park Ji-won, Prime Minister Han reiterated his explanation of the incident. He clarified that while Lawmaker Han was conducting a Q&A with reporters in a public space, a staff member from the Prime Minister's Office asked a question related to the Prime Minister's directives from the previous day, and when asked about their identity, the staff member claimed to be an ordinary citizen.
Prime Minister Han argued that if asking a question in a public place is considered surveillance, then everyone would be surveilled at all times.
After the session, Lawmaker Han continued his offensive. He stated on social media that it is difficult to view the staff member's actions as solely a personal judgment and called for an investigation into the circumstances and accountability from the Prime Minister's Office. Members of the ruling People Power Party also joined in the criticism, labeling it 'power-based surveillance.'
The two also clashed over Prime Minister Han's directive to investigate the leak of investigation data related to the nominee for Minister of Justice, Kim Seung-won. Prime Minister Han had instructed relevant agencies to confirm how the investigation data was leaked. Lawmaker Han raised concerns that the Prime Minister was intervening in the investigation of a specific case, sparking a debate over investigative oversight.
In contrast, Prime Minister Han rebutted that he was not directing the investigation but rather ensuring that the circumstances surrounding the data leak were confirmed from a public service perspective, emphasizing that he did not instruct an investigation into any specific individual.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.