"Shall I hit you once," "You're just a young XX"... Vulgar language and informal speech between ruling and opposition parties in 'Makjang National Assembly Audit'

The Subcommittee on Information and Communication Broadcasting Bill under the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting Committee is being held on the morning of the 10th at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, chaired by Vice Chairman Park Seong-jung. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Nana Han, Reporter Seunggon Han] On the 23rd, the Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting Communications Committee (STIBC) audit held at the National Assembly ended in chaos with profanity, informal speech, and loud shouting in the final moments, ultimately resulting in a breakdown.

At around 11:40 PM that day, Park Seongjung, a member of the People Power Party, demanded time to speak from the committee chair, but Lee Wonwook, the STIBC chair (Democratic Party of Korea), did not accept this request, leading Park to urge an apology from the chair, saying, "I have one minute left to speak, but (the chair) interrupted me," while Lee countered, "You have been given enough time so far." The dispute over whether to apologize gradually escalated into an emotional confrontation.

Park said to the chair, "You interrupted me in the middle...," and the chair retorted, "You? Who do you think you are saying 'you'? I am the chair here!" as he approached Park's seat. Park responded to the approaching chair, "Should I hit you once?"

The confrontation between the two lawmakers did not end there. The chair shouted informally and loudly, "Hey! Park Seongjung!" in front of Park, and Park retorted with profanity, saying, "You little XX!" creating a hostile atmosphere.

Thanks to the intervention of surrounding lawmakers, the situation did not escalate into a physical fight. As lawmakers continued to intervene, the chair returned to his seat but, seemingly unable to calm down, declared, "I call for a recess," and struck the gavel forcefully three times before throwing it down.

Meanwhile, the words and actions of Park and the chair that day were broadcast live on the National Assembly’s official website.