The Prime Minister's Office has denied allegations of surveillance raised by independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon, stating that an official simply asked a question in a public setting.
On September 11, the Prime Minister's Office clarified that claims of 'surveillance of lawmakers' or 'instructions from the Prime Minister' made by Han are completely unfounded. They emphasized that regardless of the circumstances, it is inappropriate for a current public official to ask questions at a press conference without disclosing their identity, and a stern warning was issued regarding this behavior.
On the previous day, Han held a Q&A session with reporters in the Rotunda of the National Assembly before a government question-and-answer session. During this time, an official from the Prime Minister's Office, referred to as A, asked Han, "You posted on Facebook that the Prime Minister is directing the investigation; do you really believe that?" When Han inquired about A's affiliation, A responded, "I am a civilian," before leaving the scene.
In response, Han took to Facebook to express his frustration, stating, "The Prime Minister's Office has not only failed to apologize but has also made baseless accusations against me, claiming that the employee acted alone without reason and that a warning suffices. They have not even attempted to explain why the employee lied twice by claiming to be a 'civilian.' This indicates an awareness of the violation of political neutrality and surveillance, leading them to falsely identify as a civilian to avoid detection as a public official."
Han further criticized the Prime Minister's Office, saying, "They falsely claimed that anyone can enter the Rotunda. If that is true, can martial law troops also enter the Rotunda? This explanation suggests that the Prime Minister's Office intends to continue such undercover surveillance. The true motives behind this need to be revealed."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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