Park Seongjun: "It Violates Both Democratic Principles and Basic Human Decency"
National Women's Committee: "Would He Have Done the Same If the Reporter Were Male?"
Kwon Seongdong's Side: "Let's Pursue Legal Procedures... The Truth Will Be Revealed"
On the 17th, the Democratic Party of Korea urged Kwon Seong-dong, the floor leader of the People Power Party, to "apologize to the reporter involved and resign from his position as floor leader" after he verbally abused and physically assaulted a journalist.
Kwon Seong-dong, floor leader of the People Power Party, is shouting demands for the opening of the plenary session while attending the National Assembly plenary session on the 15th. Photo by Yonhap News
Park Seong-jun, the senior deputy floor leader of the Democratic Party, targeted Kwon during a policy coordination meeting held at the National Assembly, saying, "I doubted my eyes whether he is really the floor leader of a political party," and criticized, "He showed the image of a power-obsessed authoritarian rather than a floor leader representing the people and the party."
Park added, "Grabbing and dragging a reporter by the wrist is not only against the basic principles of democracy that the media talks about, but also against human decency and courtesy," and urged, "I hope he apologizes to the reporter and resigns from his position as floor leader."
No Jong-myeon, the floor spokesperson of the Democratic Party and a former journalist, also commented, "A current reporter, while identifying their affiliation and status, was physically restrained and insulted with unmentionable remarks," and directly criticized, "A sitting politician, especially a floor leader of a public party, openly displayed a near-hateful hostility toward a specific media outlet."
Lee Ji-hye, the standing deputy spokesperson of the Democratic Party, stated in a commentary, "This is not just simple assault but an assault on press freedom," and criticized, "It reveals the barbaric nature that the People Power Party has been hiding and the naked face of arrogant privilege."
On the same day, the Democratic Party’s National Women’s Committee also issued a statement, calling it a "clear violation of press freedom" and raising their voices, saying, "It is a tragic act that is hard to believe coming from a floor leader of a public party and a senior politician."
They particularly condemned, "It is an unimaginable serious act of violence that a floor leader of a public party physically coerced a female reporter inside the National Assembly, the hall of the people's will," and criticized, "Would Kwon have so easily used physical violence against a male reporter’s body as he did yesterday?"
Earlier, Newstapa released a video showing Kwon Seong-dong refusing to be interviewed by a reporter who identified their affiliation at the National Assembly Members' Office Building, grabbing and pulling the reporter’s wrist. At the time, Kwon said, "Ban these people from entering the National Assembly Members' Office Building," and "Newstapa is not even media. It’s a tabloid."
In response, Newstapa immediately announced its intention to file a complaint against Kwon for assault, injury, and defamation against Newstapa.
As the controversy grew, Kwon’s side stated in a media notice, "It was a physical threat and coercive approach disguised as reporting," and countered, "Despite expressing refusal to be interviewed, the excessive reporting behavior cannot be protected as press freedom and is a malicious act," signaling a readiness to respond.
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