"I Saw It in the Newspaper"... Why 'Responsible Prime Minister Han Deok-su' Is Under Fire

'Yeongbingwan New Construction', Unreported 'Presidential Helicopter Accident'
"Learned Through Newspaper" Response Sparks 'Prime Minister Passing' Controversy
President Unable to Answer Foreign Minister's Tour Schedule

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is attending the plenary session on the economic sector held at the National Assembly on the 21st, responding to questions from lawmakers. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Ju-hee] Prime Minister Han Duck-soo has sparked controversy for giving inaccurate answers during the National Assembly’s interpellation session. He responded with "I don’t know" to important issues such as the "presidential helicopter accident" and the "construction of the state guesthouse," and also failed to properly answer questions about the president’s overseas visit schedule. Critics say the term "responsible prime minister," which President Yoon emphasized when appointing Han, seems hollow.

On the 21st, during the economic sector interpellation, Han was asked by Kim Soo-heung, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, "Who ordered the construction of the new state guesthouse, which has recently become controversial?" Han replied, "I think it was done according to the general budget procedures, and since the deputy prime minister in charge of the budget (economy) is here, why not ask him?" When Kim asked again, "I will ask the deputy prime minister as well, but I still think the prime minister bears greater responsibility. Do you have any comments for the public on that point?" Han avoided a direct answer, saying, "The president instructed a withdrawal considering public opinion, so I think that issue should be settled with that."

Earlier, on the 19th, during the political sector interpellation, when Democratic Party member Seo Young-kyo asked, "Did you know about the budget allocation for the new state guesthouse?" Han answered, "I found out from the newspaper," sparking controversy over the "prime minister being bypassed."

Han’s answers also caused controversy on the 20th in the foreign affairs, unification, and security sector. When Kim Byung-joo of the Democratic Party asked, "Do you know that the president’s helicopter hit a tree and damaged its tail rotor in mid-August?" Han replied, "I saw it in the newspaper." However, the presidential helicopter accident was first publicly revealed through Kim’s question that day and had not been reported before. Kim scolded him, saying, "How could you have seen it in the newspaper? You should have been briefed by the minister."

Han also appeared unable to properly grasp President Yoon’s local schedule during his overseas visit. When Kim Byung-joo pressed the reason for the disruption of President Yoon’s condolence visit to Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, asking, "What time did (President Yoon) arrive in London?" Han answered, "Well, there’s an 8-hour time difference, and it takes about 12 hours to get there, so probably around 1 p.m. local time." Kim corrected him, saying, "Prime Minister, that’s really frustrating. He arrived at 3:30 p.m." When asked further, "Where was Foreign Minister Park Jin?" Han said, "Well, I thought he was accompanying the president," failing to answer precisely. At that time, Minister Park was in New York, USA, for talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa. Critics point out that the "second-in-command" who oversees state affairs in the president’s absence failed to properly grasp the whereabouts of both the president and the foreign minister, showing a lack of response.

Criticism of Han’s answers came not only from the opposition but also from the ruling party. Song Seok-jun of the People Power Party criticized Park Gu-yeon, the first deputy director of the Office for Government Policy Coordination (OGPC), during a plenary session of the National Assembly’s Political Affairs Committee, saying, "The OGPC exists to coordinate important national agenda decisions and ensure that the president and prime minister are informed of critical matters when necessary," and added, "How comical this situation has become."

Kim Geun-sik, former head of the People Power Party’s Vision and Strategy Office, said in an interview with MBC Radio’s "Kim Jong-bae’s Focus," "Perhaps Prime Minister Han has too many other schedules to manage, which might have led to a momentary slip of the tongue," but also criticized, "I feel he is not in control of the overall presidential diplomatic visit. It is very surprising that the prime minister does not know where the foreign minister is," pointing out that Han’s response was inappropriate.

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