Won Hee-ryong on Construction Worker Self-Immolation: "Still Have Unsettled Feelings"

Sim Sang-jung "Must Become Human Before Politician"

On the 13th, Won Hee-ryong, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said regarding the self-immolation of the late Yang Hoe-dong, an executive of the Construction Union of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, "My unclear feelings remain unchanged even now."

Minister Won made this remark during a government questioning session at the National Assembly when Sim Sang-jung, a lawmaker from the Justice Party, asked, "Do you still think that Mr. Yang Hoe-dong's death was a planned self-immolation?"

Minister Won stated, "This is not an evaluation of the deceased's death. I expressed my doubts about the act of the Construction Union's vice chairman, who was at the scene, passively watching the self-immolation for nearly a minute. I felt I had to point this out in my own way," adding, "Talks about planning or aiding are all frames designed to mislead and attack me with irrelevant accusations."

He also asked rhetorically, "Vice chairman, do you still not remember? Do you still not remember?"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In response, Lawmaker Sim raised her voice, saying, "The bereaved families are here. Please be more respectful," and added, "As the minister in charge, you should bow your head in mourning before the deceased who sacrificed themselves in the 'construction violence' incident, but instead, you have defamed the deceased twice. You must become a human being before being a politician."

Minister Won countered, "Are you forcibly diverting the focus to something irrelevant?"

Earlier, on the 17th of last month, Minister Won posted on Facebook, "There was a report that a Construction Union executive at the scene where his colleague poured thinner on himself and set himself on fire did not stop him and just watched for a long time," and claimed, "I cannot help but wonder if they tried to use their colleague's death as a driving force for their struggle."

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