On the 6th, during the government questioning, Representative Tae was told, "Trash came from North Korea," and other remarks
On the 7th, Tae Young-ho, a member of the People Power Party, visited the hunger strike tent of Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party of Korea and demanded the expulsion of Park Young-soon, a Democratic Party lawmaker who was reportedly heard calling him "trash" and other abusive words during the government questioning session the day before. Park issued a statement saying, "Tae does not have the right to demand an apology," effectively refusing to apologize.
That morning, Tae visited the tent in front of the National Assembly main building where Lee was on a hunger strike and said, "Yesterday, during the government questioning in the plenary session, Democratic Party lawmakers made abusive remarks like 'trash from North Korea' while I was speaking," adding, "I would normally let it go, but how can they say things like 'red' and 'communist collaborator' in the plenary session?"
He continued, "We cannot leave Park Young-soon, who shouted at me, unpunished," emphasizing, "The leader should take responsibility, expel him from the party, and strip him of his parliamentary seat."
Earlier, during the government questioning the day before, Tae stated that "the Democratic Party has been delaying personnel recommendations for the North Korean Human Rights Foundation for seven years." In response, Democratic Party lawmakers seated in the chamber shouted things like "Trash from North Korea has come."
When Tae visited the hunger strike tent that day, Democratic Party lawmakers tried to block him, leading to a scuffle. Lawmaker Yoon Ho-jung said, "Since there are floor leaders who are not on a hunger strike, please go there and just greet them," to which Tae replied, "That is a matter for the leader to decide," and requested a meeting.
Right after visiting the tent, when asked if he would request another meeting if his desired measures were not taken, Tae answered, "Even if I am pushed out, I will keep coming."
The People Power Party leadership also urged the Democratic Party to discipline the lawmaker who made the abusive remarks against Tae. Kim Ki-hyun, leader of the People Power Party, said to reporters after a field meeting in Busan that day, "Tae risked his life to escape from North Korea to find freedom and has been truly working to resolve North Korean human rights issues. For the Democratic Party to belittle these efforts and use intolerable language to insult his character is unacceptable under any circumstances," adding, "The Democratic Party must take firm disciplinary and legal actions regarding this."
Park Young-soon: "If Tae apologizes for the insults so far, I will also apologize"
Park effectively refused to apologize for his remarks the day before. In a statement released that afternoon, he criticized, "Since becoming a member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, Tae has done nothing but continuously cause controversies such as producing fake news related to North Korea and disparaging independence activist Kim Gu," and said, "If Tae first apologizes for the criticisms and insults directed at the opposition party so far, I will also apologize to him."
Meanwhile, Park criticized Tae's visit to Lee Jae-myung as a "political show." Park said, "This problematic figure is playing the victim role to attract so-called 'aggro' and is putting on a political show by visiting the opposition party leader on a hunger strike," emphasizing, "Tae, who posted on his SNS 'Junk Money Sex Democratic Party, indeed JMS Democratic Party,' does not have the right to demand an apology."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
