Park Ji-won "Not a lawmaker but an agent? Is Park Ji-won also a NIS agent?"

Kim Yong-hyun's Statement About 'Agents, Not Lawmakers' Sparks Controversy
Lawmakers Continue to Criticize the Remark
Netizens Create Various Memes to Mock the Statement

At the Constitutional Court hearing on the impeachment trial of President Yoon Suk-yeol, former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun claimed that during the emergency martial law on December 3, he ordered to pull out 'agents' rather than 'members of the National Assembly' from the parliament. In response, some politicians and netizens mocked the statement in various ways. On the 23rd, Park Ji-won, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, posted on his Facebook, sarcastically writing, "National Assembly Agent Park Ji-won."

Park Ji-won, Member of the Democratic Party of Korea. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

Park said, "I am Park Ji-won, an agent of the National Intelligence Service. Since Park Ji-won is from the National Intelligence Service, can I also be called an NIS agent?" He added, "About 20 staff members, including stenographers from the Secretariat of the National Assembly, work in the main plenary hall, but would about 280 martial law troops break the glass of the plenary hall to arrest agents?" He then criticized, "The collusion between the king of legal loopholes, Yoon Suk-yeol, and Kim Yong-hyun is a low-quality comedy that makes one doubt their intellectual level."

On the 24th, Democratic Party lawmaker Park Ju-min posted on his Facebook a photo of himself wearing black sunglasses that look like something agents in spy movies would wear, along with the caption "Eunpyeong-gap National Assembly 'Agent' Park Ju-min." On the same day, Democratic Party lawmaker Heo Young also posted a photo of a business card that read "Chuncheon·Cheorwon·Hwacheon·Yanggu (Gap) National Assembly 'Agent' Heo Young," adding, "Should I change my business card?" Facebook posts by Democratic Party lawmakers Park Ju-min and Heo Young

Not only Park but other lawmakers also voiced criticism. Han Jun-ho, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party, wrote on Facebook, "Could it be that the agent Yoon Suk-yeol mentioned had a name like 'Lee Jae-myung,' 'Han Dong-hoon,' or 'Woo Won-shik'?" He mocked, "In the end, they might insist that it was not 'martial law' but a 'game'." Kim Bo-hyeop, chief spokesperson of the Innovation Party for Justice, said, "The legal team of President Yoon, the ringleader of the rebellion, and former Minister Kim and other rebel forces have started mocking the people," adding, "I hope they lie moderately. Do the Constitutional Court justices think they will be fooled by such clumsy lies?"

On the 24th, Park Joo-min, a Democratic Party lawmaker, posted on his Facebook a photo wearing black sunglasses like those used by agents in spy movies, along with the caption "Eunpyeong-gap National Assembly 'Agent' Park Joo-min." On the same day, Heo Young, also from the Democratic Party, posted a photo of a business card labeled "Chuncheon, Cheorwon, Hwacheon, Yanggu (Gap) National Assembly 'Agent' Heo Young," joking, "Should I change my business card?"

The remarks drew criticism not only from politicians but also from netizens. On social media and online communities, memes and parodies about Minister Kim's 'agent' comment have been continuously emerging. Online communities

Not only politicians but also netizens continued to criticize the statement. On social media and online communities, memes and parodies about Minister Kim's 'agent' remark have been continuously emerging. Some netizens have created various memes, such as photoshopping the National Assembly Station to read 'National Assembly Agent Station' or badges of National Assembly members labeled as agents.