Opposition's Full-Scale Government Questioning: "Yoon's Rash Remarks Burden US Diplomacy"… Prime Minister Han Says "I've Said All I Wanted"

48-Second Korea-US Meeting, 30-Minute Korea-Japan Talks Raise Issues
Prime Minister Han on Yoon's Controversial Remarks: "Did Not Hear Directly"... No Further Response Given

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] In the National Assembly's government questioning session, President Yoon Seok-yeol's summit diplomacy became a major issue. The opposition party launched a fierce attack over President Yoon's controversial remarks and successive diplomatic blunders. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo commented on the controversy surrounding President Yoon's summit diplomacy, saying, "(President Yoon) has sufficiently expressed what he wanted to say," but he failed to properly respond to the controversy over the offensive remarks.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 22nd, during the National Assembly's government questioning session, Prime Minister Han explained in response to Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Byung-hoon's criticism of the ‘48-second conversation’ with U.S. President Joe Biden and the ‘30-minute meeting’ with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, saying, "The president held a Korea-Japan summit, and with the U.S., he briefly met at the venue where donations were made to the international health foundation, but there was a reception immediately afterward."

He clarified, "The process of the UN General Assembly involves a very complex schedule."

The controversy over the offensive remarks was also included in the government questioning. President Yoon, on the previous day (local time), attended the ‘7th Replenishment Conference of the Global Fund’ held in New York, USA, and after a 48-second conversation with President Biden, said to Foreign Minister Park Jin, "If these XX in the National Assembly don't approve it, what will Biden do being embarrassed?" Contextually, the National Assembly here is interpreted as referring to the U.S. Congress.

Regarding this, lawmaker Lee expressed concern, saying, "It is difficult for me to say this with my own mouth," and "A single slip of the tongue seems likely to cause considerable diplomatic burden in relations with the U.S."

When Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Won also raised this issue, Prime Minister Han said, "I have not seen (the video)," and added, "I received a report, but it seems rare that anyone has clearly heard the exact content, only that such claims and talks exist." In response to further questions, Prime Minister Han mentioned that he had ‘not heard it directly’ and did not provide any substantial answers.

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