Kim Nam-guk's Controversy Over "Won't Support Justice Party Without Action" Statement

Phone Briefing Protest to Spokesperson
Justice Party: "Power Abuse by Ruling Party Lawmaker"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] Kim Nam-guk, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, allegedly engaged in so-called 'gapjil' by protesting against a statement from the Justice Party that criticized him, saying, "If no action is taken, I will not support anything the Justice Party does."

According to the Justice Party, on the 8th, Kim directly called Cho Hye-min, the Justice Party spokesperson, to protest the content of a briefing. On the 9th, Jung Ho-jin, the Justice Party chief spokesperson, stated that during this call, Kim said, "If no action is taken, I will not support anything the Justice Party does, including the abolition of the abortion law and the enactment of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

At the time, Spokesperson Cho criticized the briefing related to the public hearing on the revision of the abortion law held by the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, saying, "The discussions at the public hearing did not reflect the reality of women," and "There were absurd remarks such as asking how men think." Although Cho did not mention Kim Nam-guk by name, the remarks were aimed at him. Kim explained, "I asked for men's evaluation of the government's bill on the premise that abortion is an issue for which men should also take responsibility."

Chief Spokesperson Jung pointed out, "It is hard to believe that a ruling party lawmaker would exert pressure by taking hostages to enforce their position on the bill, which is an abuse of power." Spokesperson Cho also said, "Would you have done the same if I were a senior middle-aged male politician?" and emphasized, "Is the Democratic Party of Korea of the same opinion? I will actively address this issue so that I can work safely."

In response to the Justice Party's backlash, Kim said, "I only asked whether the thoughts and opinions of men in their 20s and 30s had been investigated or researched," demanding an apology. Regarding the 'bill gapjil' allegations, he drew a line, saying, "Any party would agree if it is for the people," and "In the process, I will not approach it with a narrow perspective limited to specific ages or genders."

The deadline for revising the abortion law is approaching. Following the Constitutional Court's ruling that the punishment for abortion is unconstitutional, the National Assembly must revise the law by the 31st of this month. However, discussions remain at a standstill. If the National Assembly fails to reach an agreement, the worst-case scenario of not completing the law revision may occur. From next year, the criminal penalty provisions will lose their effect, potentially causing confusion where abortion is restricted but illegal procedures are not punishable due to the legal gap.

However, there are still criticisms that the voices of women, the parties concerned, are being ignored even in the formation of expert panels for the public hearing. Democratic Party lawmaker Kwon In-sook criticized, "The public hearing should not become a forum that distorts public opinion," and added, "The abolition of the abortion law should be discussed by listening to the voices of the people, not by punishing and controlling women who terminate pregnancies."

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