[2022 National Audit] Yoon Geon-young Asked "Am I Loyal to the Leader?"... Kim Moon-soo Responds "There Is Such an Aspect" (Summary)

'Kim Moon-soo Debut' Environment and Labor Committee Audit, Ultimately Adjourned
Yoon Gun-young "Blood Boils"... Jin Sung-jun "Should File Charges"

Kim Moon-soo, Chairman of the Economic, Social and Labor Council, appeared at the National Assembly on the 12th for the National Assembly audit of the Economic, Social and Labor Council, and took the witness oath. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Kim Moon-soo, the newly appointed chairman of the Economic and Social Labor Council, faced intense criticism over his past anti-labor remarks during the Environment and Labor Committee’s national audit on the 12th. During the questioning process with Yoon Gun-young, a member of the Democratic Party who had previously clashed with Kim over 'pro-North Korea' remarks, Kim made another gaffe, causing the audit to be temporarily halted.

Lee Eun-joo, a member of the Justice Party, referred to Kim’s past offensive remarks such as "Unions need to wash their heads first," "The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) is Kim Jong-un’s pleasure squad," and "The Cargo Solidarity itself is exactly the same as what North Korea is doing," demanding, "For the Yoon Seok-yeol administration’s first social dialogue to take off, an apology to the KCTU must come first."

In response, Chairman Kim said, "If there were excessive parts, I apologize," but added, "There are parts I find difficult to apologize for, so I cannot agree to apologizing unconditionally." Lee then showed a 'red card' and demanded his exit.

Jeon Yong-gi, a member of the Democratic Party, raised issues regarding Kim’s past offensive remarks toward Democratic Party figures. Jeon pointed out Kim’s labeling of Yoon Gun-young as 'pro-North Korea' and his past reference to the Democratic Party as 'Together with the South Labor Party.' Kim responded, "Some expressions were excessive. If I used overly harsh expressions about Representative Yoon, please understand."

Distorted views on workers’ strikes were also criticized. Jeon pointed out Kim’s past YouTube broadcast statement that "compensation for damages is a special remedy for illegal strikes," to which Kim replied, "If you listen to the full content, that’s not the case," adding, "Property rights and labor rights must be balanced."

Ruling party lawmakers also expressed concerns about Kim’s views on labor. Ji Seong-ho of the People Power Party said, "It is true that he excessively defended certain camps and voiced negative opinions about union activities through YouTube," to which Kim responded, "I did not necessarily deny labor but spoke with some social concerns in mind."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

When asked by Representative Ji about dialogue plans with the KCTU, Kim said, "I had dinner with the KCTU’s sectoral chairpersons the day before. Since I know them well, we agreed to cooperate candidly and for them to make requests to me," adding, "I will humbly and sincerely listen, focusing on sectoral or enterprise-level workplaces affiliated with the KCTU that I know."

In the subsequent audit questioning, Kim directly clashed with Representative Yoon, whom he had previously labeled 'pro-North Korea.' When Yoon asked during his turn, "Do you still hold the belief that Yoon Gun-young is loyal to the Supreme Leader through his thoughts, words, and actions?" Kim replied, "I think there is some aspect of that."

Opposition lawmakers protested, demanding a quick retraction, while ruling party lawmakers countered, "Do not block Chairman Kim’s remarks," causing a commotion in the chamber. Yoon stated during a parliamentary procedure speech, "I was going to let it slide, but I cannot conduct the audit under such an evaluation," adding, "I initially did not want to ask questions, but after hearing the answer, I feel my blood boiling."

Jin Sung-jun of the Democratic Party argued, "Chairman Kim should be prosecuted under the Act on Testimony, Evidence, and Inspection in the National Assembly." This law stipulates that if a witness damages the authority of the National Assembly with insulting behavior, they may face up to five years in prison or a fine between 10 million and 50 million won. Jeon Hae-cheol, a Democratic Party member and committee chair, requested that the ruling and opposition party secretaries discuss measures and declared the audit suspended.

Meanwhile, in his opening remarks at the audit, Chairman Kim said, "I will focus on dialogue between labor and management to build national consensus, actively seek ways to reduce social class gaps and improve fairness in the labor market," adding, "I will work with not only labor, management, and the central government but also local governments to resolve current issues."

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