[2022 National Audit] Kim Moon-soo's Audit with a 'Red Card' Appearance... "Did Not Want to Use It"

Kim Moon-soo Refuses to Apologize, Lee Eun-ju Pulls Out a 'Red Card'
Unusual Items Often Appear from the Past... Cat, Monster Rat, Drone, etc.
Labor and Environment Committee Audit Disrupted by Clash Between Kim Moon-soo and Yoon Gun-young

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 reporters Lee Ji-eun and Naju-seok] In the second week of the National Assembly’s audit, a 'red card' made a surprise appearance on the 12th. It happened during the Environment and Labor Committee’s audit session, where Kim Moon-soo, the newly appointed chairman of the Economic and Social Labor Council, made his first appearance, drawing attention.

On that day, Justice Party lawmaker Lee Eun-ju referenced Kim’s past controversial remarks during the audit, such as "Labor unions need to wash their heads first," "The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) is Kim Jong-un’s cheer squad," and "The Cargo Solidarity itself is exactly the same as what is happening in North Korea," emphasizing, "For the Yoon Seok-yeol administration’s first social dialogue to get off the ground, an apology to the KCTU must come first."

She demanded a sincere apology for Kim’s past 'inflammatory remarks.'

However, Kim responded, "If there were excessive parts, I apologize," but also took an ambiguous stance by saying, "There are parts I cannot apologize for, so I find it difficult to agree to apologize unconditionally." In response, Lee took out a 'red card' and demanded his exit.

The red card is a penalty card shown by referees in sports like soccer to players who commit fouls; when a referee shows a red card, the player must leave the field. She said, "Because (Chairman Kim) did not apologize, he is not qualified to answer questions," and instead directed questions to Kim Deok-ho, the standing member of the Economic and Social Labor Council at the vice-ministerial level.

Lee explained the background of the red card incident, saying, "The chairman of the Economic and Social Labor Council is supposed to lead social dialogue, and since his position and status have changed, he should apologize for the past inflammatory remarks made against the labor sector, which is the main party in social dialogue. I did not want to use the prepared red card, but since Chairman Kim responded that way, I had no choice but to use it."

She added, "If Chairman Kim had apologized, I was going to say, 'I will watch to see if the chairman of the Economic and Social Labor Council properly fulfills his role by leading balanced dialogue in labor-government relations and respects and understands the labor unions, which are the main parties in social dialogue,'" expressing regret that "he ultimately did not apologize."

Every year, the National Assembly audit sessions have featured eye-catching 'unusual items' that sparked controversy or attracted attention. In the 2018 audit, former Liberty Korea Party lawmaker Kim Jin-tae brought a 'Bengal cat,' causing an animal abuse controversy. In 2019, independent lawmaker Lee Yong-joo brought a 'real doll,' leading to an apology incident. Other unusual items at the audit include the nutria, known as the 'monster rat,' tteokbokki, bamboo spears, drones, and a type of electric scooter called a 'Segway.'

Meanwhile, during the questioning on that day, Chairman Kim clashed head-on with Yoon Gun-young, a Democratic Party lawmaker whom he had previously labeled as 'pro-North Korea,' and as a result, the Environment and Labor Committee audit was adjourned.

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