Park Sung-joong: "Science and ICT Committee Disruption, Misunderstood Context... Chairman Caused the Disruption"

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Jo] Regarding the disruption of the National Assembly Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee (Science Committee) audit, during which informal speech and profanity were exchanged between the ruling and opposition parties, Park Seong-jung, a member of the People Power Party and one of the involved parties, stated on the 27th, "I sincerely apologize to the public for the regrettable conflict that occurred, regardless of the reasons."

Park said, "However, some parts of the background have been misunderstood," and claimed, "It was none other than Chairman Lee Won-wook who lost composure and balance during the Science Committee audit on the 23rd and caused the disruption."

He explained, "When the additional questioning time had passed, I expressed my intention to use the remaining one minute saved from the previous time and to conclude without further questions. However, I was prevented from questioning due to Chairman Lee's objection, and afterwards, I 'demanded an apology.'" He added, "Chairman Lee first raised his voice in an agitated manner, driving the atmosphere of the meeting into hostility. After shouting, he abruptly stood up from his seat and provoked with a 'threatening act' as if to use violence."

Park referred to Chairman Lee’s act of declaring a recess and throwing the gavel onto the floor as a "gavel outrage that will be long remembered in legislative history," expressing regret by saying, "A standing committee chairman, especially one with three or more terms, regardless of party affiliation, should mediate and operate the committee with tolerance when conflicts arise between the ruling and opposition parties for smooth committee management."

Meanwhile, on the previous day, members of the Democratic Party belonging to the Science Committee issued a statement demanding an apology and a promise to prevent recurrence, claiming, "Park engaged in profanity, abusive language, and violent behavior against the Science Committee chairman." At that time, when Park demanded an apology for the rejection of his request for additional questioning time and referred to Chairman Lee as "you," Chairman Lee became enraged, leading to a loud exchange of words and insults between the two, ultimately causing the audit to be disrupted.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.