Won Hee-ryong, who strongly supported the planning division theory, fiercely attacked by the opposition party: "Show respect for one person's death"

On the 17th, Minister Won Hee-ryong Mentioned the Possibility of a Planned Self-Immolation via SNS
Strong Criticism from Democratic and Justice Parties through Statements

The opposition strongly opposed the social media post by Won Hee-ryong, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, which supported reports related to the suspected planned self-immolation by the construction labor union. They argued that agreeing with baseless speculation is problematic not only as a cabinet member but also as an individual.

On the 17th, Minister Won wrote on SNS, "There was a report that a construction union official present at the scene where his colleague poured thinner on himself and set himself on fire did not stop him and just watched for quite some time," adding, "If true, this is an extremely shocking matter. It would also be a great shock to many people who were saddened by the tragic death of a human being."

He continued, "I hope this is not the case, but I cannot help but wonder if the colleague's death was used as a driving force for the struggle... I hope the truth will be revealed," he added.

Minister Won used expressions such as "if true" and "I hope this is not the case," so while he did not fully endorse the media reports suggesting the possibility of planned self-immolation, he did lend weight to the suspicions by saying "I cannot help but wonder."

The Democratic Party reacted strongly to Minister Won's post, saying, "Do not use the death of a worker who lost their life due to union suppression as a tool for union hatred again."

Lee So-young, Democratic Party floor spokesperson, said in a written briefing, "It is never right for a cabinet member to raise suspicions based on baseless speculation in an 'if not, then forget it' manner," and criticized, "Furthermore, the Yoon Seok-yeol administration's intention to disparage the self-immolation of Yang Hoe-dong, the union leader, by using fake news and to degrade the union's image to seize another opportunity for union suppression is transparently visible." She added, "I have doubts about whether Minister Won is trying to use the worker's death as a driving force for union hatred."

The spokesperson said, "I have a word for Minister Won," and urged, "Before being a union member, before being a worker, he is a human being. Please show respect for the death of one person."

Lee Jae-rang, spokesperson for the Justice Party, also raised issues with Minister Won's post. He introduced the media report Minister Won referred to, saying, "Based on CCTV footage and witness statements at the time, it was reported that the construction union official present at the self-immolation did not show any particular movement to help Yang." He then rebutted the report, saying, "A police official said that after Yang Hoe-dong spread thinner around himself, he warned his colleagues 'Do not come close,' so they could not approach. The statements of YTN reporters who were at the scene also said that the union official repeatedly tried to dissuade Yang."

He pointed out, "Minister Won's 'union hatred' intention, which claims the 'planned self-immolation theory' based on distorted reports, is very transparent." Parodying Minister Won's post, the spokesperson harshly criticized, "I hope this is not the case, but if Minister Won himself actually wrote this post, it is an extremely shocking matter that a person who has not even fully retained their humanity was serving as a minister of a nation."

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