Song Eonseok Acknowledges 'Noh Sangwon Notebook' Remark: "Regretful, Shouting Always Happens"

"Democratic Party Lawmakers Who Used Insults and Criticism Should Also Be Referred to the Ethics Committee"

Song Eonseok, floor leader of the People Power Party, belatedly expressed regret on the 17th regarding his remark during the regular session speech by Jeong Cheongrae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, which implied, "It would have been better if things had gone according to Noh Sangwon's notebook."

Song Eonseok, floor leader of the People Power Party, is answering reporters' questions on current issues such as the arrest of lawmaker Kwon Seongdong and the ruling and opposition parties' negotiations on the government organization act at the National Assembly on September 17, 2025. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

Meeting with reporters at the National Assembly that morning, Floor Leader Song said, "It is not unusual for there to be various shouts during speeches in the main chamber," but added, "I also regret that such a situation occurred unintentionally."

Floor Leader Song stated, "If such things are considered problematic, then it would be reasonable for all Democratic Party lawmakers who used abusive language and insults during my negotiation group speech to also be referred to the ethics committee," emphasizing, "We need to look at this with fairness."

He continued, "Leader Jeong said, 'He would have become a guest who never returned, he would have died.' The words of a party leader carry a different weight," and insisted, "Statements should be based on truth and facts, so we need to examine on what grounds he said, 'a guest who never returned, he would have died.'"

The controversial remark was made during Leader Jeong's negotiation group speech on the 9th, when he said, "If Noh Sangwon's notebook had succeeded in reality, neither President Lee Jaemyung nor I would be alive today." In response, Floor Leader Song said, "I wish that had happened."

In response, the Democratic Party stated, "Not only should he step down from the People Power Party leadership, but he should also be permanently expelled from the political community of the Republic of Korea," and filed a complaint against Floor Leader Song with the Special Ethics Committee.