Yoon Mi-hyang "I am confident" explanation met with ruling party's "excuse to evade responsibility" criticism

Yoon Mi-hyang "Did not receive security support... No legal violations"
Ruling party "Did the Ministry of Foreign Affairs request protocol but pay out of pocket?"

Independent lawmaker Yoon Mi-hyang defended her attendance at the 100th anniversary memorial event for the Great Kanto Earthquake, hosted by the pro-North Korean organization General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon), saying she was "proud" of her participation. In response, the ruling party criticized her explanation as an excuse to evade responsibility.

Yoon emphasized that she had no contact with Chongryon and that there was nothing problematic about her attendance, but the ruling party raised their voices, saying, "Once again, she is evading responsibility with lies and excuses."

Earlier, when controversy arose over Yoon attending the memorial ceremony for the massacre of Koreans during the Great Kanto Earthquake hosted by Chongryon on the 1st without prior notification, she stated, "I have never violated the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Act."

On the 5th, on the YouTube channel 'Kim Eo-jun's Humility is Difficult News Factory,' Yoon said, "The prior contact application under the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Act means that I have to specify which event I am attending, who I am meeting, and what information will be exchanged. However, participating in a memorial project itself is not subject to prior notification under the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Act."

Independent lawmaker Yoon Mi-hyang is attending the National Assembly plenary session on the afternoon of the 5th and is being questioned by reporters about the controversy surrounding her attendance at the memorial ceremony for Koreans massacred during the Kanto Earthquake, hosted by Chongryon. Photo by Yonhap News

Regarding the criticism that public funds were used for her trip to Japan, she explained, "I did not receive support for any expenses," adding, "The only cooperation I received was a request to be guided from the airport to the accommodation."

In response, Jang Dong-hyuk, the floor spokesperson for the People Power Party, criticized, "Yoon, as a member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, proudly raised her head, saying she was 'proud to be the first to attend and deliver a message,' just like her shameless attitude when it was revealed that she embezzled funds from the Justice and Peace Foundation."

On the same day, Jang issued a statement saying, "Yoon Mi-hyang claimed her attendance at the memorial was an official business trip and demanded protocol from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but then inconsistently explained that she paid the costs out of her own pocket," pointing out, "There are many questions, including suspicions that she visited Chongryon-affiliated Korean schools."

Jang added, "Even now, Yoon should clearly clarify the raised suspicions and act responsibly regarding her position," and raised his voice, saying, "It is now the turn of the Democratic Party of Korea, which gave Yoon her badge, to answer these questions."

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