People Power Party: "Kim Eo-jun and Democratic Party Use Martial Law as Propaganda Tool... Apologize"

"Set the stage for Kim Eo-jun's sophistry"
"Cutting ties after the exposure"
"Propagandistic sophistry, apologize to the people immediately"

The People Power Party has called for an apology from broadcaster Kim Eo-jun and the Democratic Party, who claimed during a National Assembly inquiry that an assassination squad was activated to kill former representative Han Dong-hoon.

On the 18th, floor spokesperson Seo Ji-young mentioned Kim's claim and the statement by Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Byung-joo, who pointed to the United States as the source of the claim, in a commentary. She said, "The U.S. Embassy in Korea immediately stated that it was 'not true,' and Miller, the U.S. State Department spokesperson, also said, 'We do not have such information.'" She added, "Chairperson Choi Min-hee of the Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee provided a platform for Kim's sophistry, and Representative Lee Jae-myung echoed the claim by saying it was a 'group that could have planned such a thing,' thus escalating the situation," criticizing, "Does the Democratic Party not care about the Korea-U.S. alliance and diplomatic issues if it serves their agitation?"

On the 13th, broadcaster Kim Eo-jun is responding to questions at the Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting Committee plenary meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

Spokesperson Seo also referred to a recently released internal Democratic Party report that evaluated Kim's claim as containing "considerable fiction." She said, "Now they are distancing themselves from Kim's revelations. Having reaped all the benefits, have they changed their strategy to hit and run?" She urged, "They must be held accountable for attempting to use this emergency martial law as a tool for propaganda and agitation. Kim and the Democratic Party should immediately apologize to the public for their inflammatory sophistry aimed at misleading public opinion and fomenting division within the ruling party."

Earlier, on the 13th, Kim appeared as a witness before the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting Committee and introduced information he had received regarding the emergency martial law situation, saying, "Not all facts have been confirmed." While checking his notes, he recited, "First, Han Dong-hoon, who is arrested and transferred, will be shot. Second, an assault on the convoy transporting Cho Kuk, Yang Jeong-cheol, and Kim Eo-jun will be staged to simulate a rescue, then they will flee. Third, North Korean military uniforms will be buried at a specific location. Fourth, after a certain time, the uniforms will be discovered and announced as the work of North Korea." He added, "To elaborate, Representative Han Dong-hoon is the ruling party leader who can be easily framed as a North Korean agent, and the purpose of the rescue operation for Cho Kuk, Yang Jeong-cheol, and Kim Eo-jun is to inflict maximum damage on the unit involved and announce that North Korea attempted to rescue pro-North Korean forces." Kim also said, "I have not heard about any orders to shoot the three individuals, so I do not know. There is more information beyond that," and "The plan involves killing several U.S. soldiers to provoke the U.S. into bombing North Korea. The unit responsible can be inquired about with Democratic Party lawmakers Kim Byung-joo or Park Seon-won." Furthermore, he explained, "I also received information about biochemical terrorism, but whether to disclose it is up to lawmaker Kim."

On the same afternoon, Representative Lee Jae-myung met with reporters at the National Assembly and called it "an absurd matter," but also said, "It is a group that could have planned such a thing." Lawmaker Kim also claimed on the 16th during CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' that "there is weight to the possibility that the suspicion is true. A lot of information is leaking from the U.S. side right now." He said, "The U.S. is probably still wiretapping the presidential office. That is probably why on the 12th, U.S. House Representative Brad Sherman said, 'Even if North Korea stages provocations, the U.S. can tell,'” adding, “This kind of information is gradually leaking, but it will be difficult for them to disclose it because it would mean admitting they wiretapped." However, regarding clear evidence, he was cautious, saying, "It is under verification."