Zelensky and Trudeau Speeches Met with Empty Seats in Plenary Hall... Diplomatic Faux Pas

Canadian Prime Minister's Parliamentary Speech Attended by Over 160
Nearly Half of the Members of Parliament Did Not Appear

During Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's speech to the National Assembly on the 17th, it was reported that more than 100 lawmakers were absent.

When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gave a virtual speech to the National Assembly in April last year, only about 60 lawmakers attended, drawing criticism as a 'diplomatic faux pas.' Similar concerns have been raised as a comparable situation has repeated.

Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau, currently on a visit to Korea, is delivering a speech to members of both ruling and opposition parties at the National Assembly plenary session on the 17th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Trudeau's visit to Korea was arranged to mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Canada, and his speech lasted about 20 minutes. However, during Trudeau's speech, many seats of the lawmakers were noticeably empty.

This was the first time in six years since former U.S. President Donald Trump spoke directly at the Korean National Assembly in November 2017, and the first time during the 21st National Assembly. Despite this, the large number of absences has been criticized as insufficient respect for a foreign head of state. The National Assembly also drew criticism for having only about 60 attendees during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's virtual speech on April 11 last year.

The Democratic Party of Korea criticized People Power Party leader Kim Gi-hyeon for his absence during Trudeau's speech, saying, "The ruling party leader, who should have taken the lead in welcoming a foreign head of state, ignored the event and passed on it."

Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung stayed until the end of Trudeau's speech and shook hands with him afterward. However, there were also quite a few empty seats among Democratic Party lawmakers that day.

Kim Gi-hyeon was absent from Trudeau's speech due to attending the opening of the 14th Asian Leadership Conference. Instead, Floor Leader Yoon Jae-ok attended and represented the party.

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