Legislative Judiciary Committee Audit, Pre-Start Dispute Between Ki Dong-min and Jo Jeong-hoon Over 'Kim Jong-un = Supreme Dignity' Expression Leads to Disruption

Gidongmin, "It was a kind of mockery and jeer"
Jojunghun, "No matter how sarcastic, it was an inappropriate remark"

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] On the 18th, the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee's audit, which was expected to be a fierce confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties over the judicial risks of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and investigations related to First Lady Kim Geon-hee, unexpectedly turned into a heated debate over the expression 'choego joneom' (highest dignity).

[Image source=Yonhap News]

During the previous day's audit, regarding the killing of a government official in the West Sea, Democratic Party lawmaker Ki Dong-min said, "Is that 'choego joneom' over there the person who even officially apologized for this matter?" In response, Jo Jeong-hoon of the Transition Korea party demanded an apology, calling it "a very inappropriate remark." On this day, Ki Dong-min rebutted this through a personal statement during the audit, causing a commotion that led to the session being disrupted before it could properly begin in the morning.

Before starting his questioning, Ki Dong-min stated in a personal remark, "I looked up the transcript because I wondered why (Lawmaker Jo) misunderstood and asked for an apology." He said, "I said, 'Isn't the lives of the people the top priority? One person was brutally harmed by North Korean troops. The person called 'choego joneom' even apologized for this matter.' This was a form of mockery and sarcasm," he argued.

He then criticized Lawmaker Jo, who demanded an apology, saying, "I was joking, but they attacked me as if it were a matter of life and death," and called it "a clear spread of false information."

Ki Dong-min emphasized, "Did I say that the highest dignity of North Korea should apologize? I cannot accept this, and if you perceived and spoke like that, it is a serious defamation."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In response, Lawmaker Jo said, "You said it was a joke, but that joke should not have been made," adding, "The term 'choego joneom' symbolizes the North Korean regime, and Chairman Kim Jong-un is at the top of that regime. However, the Constitution of the Republic of Korea considers the entire territory as one, so even as a joke, you cannot call anyone 'choego joneom.'"

He further pointed out, "The context Ki mentioned seems to imply that North Korea's chairman apologized, so why don't we? North Korea insults our president as a 'steamed small head,' but can we call Chairman Kim 'choego joneom'? No matter how sarcastic, it is an inappropriate remark," he reiterated.

During this exchange, when Ki Dong-min said again, "I apologize to the People Power Party lawmakers. If they had said this, I could have dismissed it as political attack, but I was shocked to hear such remarks from Jo Jeong-hoon of Transition Korea, who is not even a People Power Party member," a backlash arose mainly from ruling party lawmakers.

As opposition lawmakers such as Park Beom-gye and Kim Nam-guk countered again, causing further commotion, Kim Do-eup, chairman of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, intervened and declared, "It seems impossible to continue the audit," and announced the suspension of the audit.