On August 19, the National Assembly convened six standing committees, including the Judiciary Committee, Science and Technology Committee, Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, Health and Welfare Committee, Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, and Climate, Energy, Environment and Labor Committee. The committees began reviewing last year's budget and received reports on various issues from relevant agencies. However, simultaneous meetings led to clashes between the ruling and opposition parties.
The Science and Technology Committee held a full meeting but only approved the appointment of committee members and the election of subcommittee chairs before adjourning. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Baek Kyun-ho, who attended for budget review, left without making any remarks.
The conflict began when members of the Democratic Party claimed that Lee Jin-sook of the ruling People Power Party was unqualified to serve on the committee. They demanded a public apology or her resignation, alleging that she distorted and belittled the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement during a discussion held on August 13.
Democratic Party Chairman Song Gi-heon urged Lee to make a personal statement, saying, "(Lee) has caused emotional harm to many citizens through the discussion. For the smooth progress of the meeting, please make a personal statement."
In response, Lee defended herself, stating that the discussion was an academic forum and that she did not make direct comments. The newly appointed opposition committee member Choi Hyung-doo also supported Lee, saying, "The Democratic Party has unilaterally questioned her qualifications since the last meeting. This issue should be discussed in a public forum. Please proceed with the Science and Technology Committee quickly."
As the Democratic Party insisted that the meeting could not proceed without Lee's apology or resignation, and the People Power Party maintained that the discussion related to the May 18 forum was separate from the committee's agenda, Song ultimately declared a recess. However, after more than two hours of recess, which included a meal break, the parties failed to reach an agreement, leading to the meeting's adjournment.
Song explained, "The Science and Technology Committee deals with issues of false and manipulated information. Addressing this situation is essential to uphold the minimum principles necessary for our committee to fulfill its role."
In the Judiciary Committee, tensions arose over Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae's recent nomination of two Supreme Court candidates and his decision to refer a specific case to the Supreme Court's full bench. The Democratic Party sought to introduce a motion to summon the Chief Justice, which was not part of the existing agenda.
Despite opposition from the People Power Party, the Democratic Party pushed through a vote on both the agenda change and the motion to summon the Chief Justice. The People Power Party voted against both measures but could not prevent their passage by majority vote.
Judiciary Committee Chair Seo Young-kyo explained the need for the Chief Justice's appearance, stating, "We need to inquire about what transpired during the prolonged vacancy in the Supreme Court nominee process and the reasons for referring a specific case to the Supreme Court's full bench."
In a separate incident during the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee meeting, Democratic Party member Kim Jun-hwan referred to People Power Party member Park Chung-kwon, a defector from North Korea, as someone who once shouted 'Long live Kim Il-sung.' After Park protested, Kim apologized, saying, "I regret my comments."
The Science and Technology Committee held a full meeting but only approved the appointment of committee members and the election of subcommittee chairs before adjourning. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Baek Kyun-ho, who attended for budget review, left without making any remarks.
The conflict began when members of the Democratic Party claimed that Lee Jin-sook of the ruling People Power Party was unqualified to serve on the committee. They demanded a public apology or her resignation, alleging that she distorted and belittled the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement during a discussion held on August 13.
Democratic Party Chairman Song Gi-heon urged Lee to make a personal statement, saying, "(Lee) has caused emotional harm to many citizens through the discussion. For the smooth progress of the meeting, please make a personal statement."
In response, Lee defended herself, stating that the discussion was an academic forum and that she did not make direct comments. The newly appointed opposition committee member Choi Hyung-doo also supported Lee, saying, "The Democratic Party has unilaterally questioned her qualifications since the last meeting. This issue should be discussed in a public forum. Please proceed with the Science and Technology Committee quickly."
As the Democratic Party insisted that the meeting could not proceed without Lee's apology or resignation, and the People Power Party maintained that the discussion related to the May 18 forum was separate from the committee's agenda, Song ultimately declared a recess. However, after more than two hours of recess, which included a meal break, the parties failed to reach an agreement, leading to the meeting's adjournment.
Song explained, "The Science and Technology Committee deals with issues of false and manipulated information. Addressing this situation is essential to uphold the minimum principles necessary for our committee to fulfill its role."
In the Judiciary Committee, tensions arose over Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae's recent nomination of two Supreme Court candidates and his decision to refer a specific case to the Supreme Court's full bench. The Democratic Party sought to introduce a motion to summon the Chief Justice, which was not part of the existing agenda.
Despite opposition from the People Power Party, the Democratic Party pushed through a vote on both the agenda change and the motion to summon the Chief Justice. The People Power Party voted against both measures but could not prevent their passage by majority vote.
Judiciary Committee Chair Seo Young-kyo explained the need for the Chief Justice's appearance, stating, "We need to inquire about what transpired during the prolonged vacancy in the Supreme Court nominee process and the reasons for referring a specific case to the Supreme Court's full bench."
In a separate incident during the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee meeting, Democratic Party member Kim Jun-hwan referred to People Power Party member Park Chung-kwon, a defector from North Korea, as someone who once shouted 'Long live Kim Il-sung.' After Park protested, Kim apologized, saying, "I regret my comments."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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