"Don't Go on a Hunger Strike" vs "Why Would I?"... Kim Minseok and Na Kyungwon Clash at Sit-in Site

Unexpected Visit to Rotunda Hall Sit-in at National Assembly
Na Kyungwon: "What brings you here?"... Kim Minseok: "I came to the National Assembly"
Heated Exchange Over Submission of Confirmation Hearing Documents

Prime Minister nominee Kim Minseok visited People Power Party lawmaker Na Kyungwon, who has been staging a sit-in for four days at the main building of the National Assembly on the 30th, urging Kim to withdraw his nomination. The two engaged in a heated exchange over issues such as the submission of documents.

At around 2:20 p.m. that day, Kim, passing through the Rotunda Hall of the National Assembly, approached Na and greeted her, saying, "You're not on a hunger strike, are you?" Kim and Na are both alumni from the Seoul National University class of 1982. Na graduated from the School of Law, while Kim graduated from the Department of Sociology.

Prime Minister nominee Kim Minseok is shaking hands with People Power Party lawmaker Na Kyungwon, who has been staging a sit-in for four days at the main building of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 30th, urging the withdrawal of the prime minister nomination. Photo by Yonhap News

When Na asked, "What brings you here?" Kim replied, "I came to the National Assembly. Keep up the good work." During the encounter, when Kim told her, "Don't go on a hunger strike," Na retorted, "Why would I go on a hunger strike?" Kim Mi-ae, another People Power Party lawmaker present at the sit-in, also remarked to Kim, "Even if she goes on a hunger strike, she won't come down. If she goes on a hunger strike, will she come down?"

During this unexpected meeting, the two briefly clashed over the submission of documents that had become an issue during the confirmation hearing process. When Na pressed Kim, saying, "Please submit the documents. The documents," Kim responded, "I already gave you all the documents, but you came into the hearing room without looking at them." When Na repeated her demand, saying, "Submit the documents on the gift tax you paid at the end," Kim replied, "I submitted everything, but you haven't looked at them. If lawmaker Joo Jinwoo had apologized, I was going to give you the rest as well. I submitted all the documents, but you didn't look at them," and then left the scene.

Since June 27, Na has been staging an overnight sit-in at the Rotunda Hall, calling for the withdrawal of Kim's nomination and for the Democratic Party to return the chairmanship of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee. The Democratic Party has criticized Na's protest as a "camping sit-in to escape the heat" and a "well-being sit-in." At the Democratic Party's Supreme Council meeting that day, Supreme Council member Kim Byungjoo said, "Do not shake the administration with such shallow political tricks," and criticized, "You cannot win the people's hearts with a well-being camping protest equipped with gimbap, coffee, fans, and even a tent."

In response, Choi Sujin, floor spokesperson for the People Power Party, issued a statement referencing the case of President Lee Jaemyung, then Democratic Party leader, who went on a hunger strike in 2023 ahead of the vote on his arrest motion. Choi argued, "Isn't the Democratic Party the real expert at using hunger strikes and sit-ins for political purposes? The Democratic Party should not denigrate Na's sincerity but instead come to the table for cooperation."