Jokyungtae "Let's Also Address Jeong Cheong-rae's Son's Sexual Harassment"
Democratic Party "Typical Diversion Tactic"
On the 20th, the ruling and opposition parties clashed at the National Assembly's Education Committee over whether to hold a hearing on school violence involving the son of lawyer Jeong Soon-shin. The opposition insisted on processing the agenda related to the 'Hearing for the Investigation of School Violence by Lawyer Jeong Soon-shin's Child and the Establishment of School Violence Countermeasures' and holding the hearing within this month, while the ruling party opposed this and argued for referring the agenda to the agenda coordination committee. Some ruling party members suggested that if a school violence hearing is held, it should cover not only lawyer Jeong Soon-shin's child but also the child of Democratic Party lawmaker Jeong Cheong-rae, leading to loud exchanges among lawmakers during the process.
On that day, Lee Tae-gyu, the spokesperson for the People Power Party, expressed regret over the opposition's unilateral meeting convening and opposed the plenary session led by the Democratic Party. He said, "Regarding the school violence involving Jeong Soon-shin's child, the opposition already requested a plenary session for urgent questioning on the 9th," and added, "Trying to hold a hearing because they did not get the answers they wanted during the urgent questioning is difficult to see as anything other than 'political'." He further proposed to the opposition, "Instead of a political hearing aimed at humiliating a specific individual, I suggest finding all school violence cases involving high-ranking officials and examining whether they were handled fairly."
Kim Young-ho, a Democratic Party spokesperson, emphasized, "We tried to clarify the suspicions during the urgent questioning, but the principal of Banpo High School consistently answered 'I don't know,' and the head of the Seoul National University admissions office said 'I cannot confirm,' so the opposition had no choice but to push for a hearing."
Kim said, "I understand that the ruling party may feel burdened by the hearing because lawyer Jeong Soon-shin was a subordinate prosecutor during President Yoon Seok-yeol's time as Prosecutor General and a colleague of prosecutor Han Dong-hoon," adding, "However, the opposition must demonstrate the ability to resolve the public's suspicions clearly. The opposition has expressed its intention to handle the hearing independently, and the ruling party has submitted the agenda for coordination; it will proceed according to the National Assembly Act."
Within the ruling party, there was an opinion to address not only the school violence issue involving lawyer Jeong Soon-shin's son but also the sexual harassment issue involving the son of Democratic Party Supreme Council member Jeong Cheong-rae.
Assemblyman Cho Kyung-tae said, "I fully agree with holding a hearing on cases that have aroused public suspicion," and began, "Many people are curious about the sexual harassment and school violence involving Assemblyman Jeong Cheong-rae's son." He continued, "People want to know the truth about whether the son of a powerful figure slipped away like a slippery fish. To become a fair Education Committee, I request holding a hearing for a thorough investigation of both issues."
However, the Democratic Party immediately opposed this as 'muddying the waters.'
Democratic Party lawmaker Kang Deuk-gu pointed out, "It is urgent to consider how to prevent a second Jeong Soon-shin's child from emerging in the future, as the privileged class has used power and expertise to undermine the system," and criticized, "I believe it is right to focus solely on the investigation of school violence involving Jeong Soon-shin's child." He added, "Connecting this issue with (Assemblyman Jeong Cheong-rae's child) at this time is a typical example of muddying the waters."
Then, during Assemblyman Cho's remarks, when he said, "I respect the female members, but I thought the female lawmakers who represent women would say something about female sexual harassment, sexual violence, and school violence occurring at schools, but they are silent now," Democratic Party lawmaker Moon Jeong-bok raised his voice, saying, "Why do you say that?"
Moon strongly protested, saying, "If female lawmakers do not make remarks about sexual harassment, does that mean they condone it? Do female lawmakers have to make sexual harassment remarks to show they are aware of the issue?"
The meeting ended with the agenda being referred to the agenda coordination committee. Chairman Yoo Ki-hong said, "There were many remarks deviating from the essence, so I will conclude the substitute debate," and added, "Since there was a request for the agenda coordination committee, it will be referred there, but I ask that the agenda coordination committee be completed promptly."
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