Democratic Party Strongly Protests People Power Party's "Choi Minhee OUT" Placard Demonstration
Session to Resume at 1:00 p.m.; Policy Vetting Still on Hold
The National Assembly confirmation hearing for Baek Kyunghoon, the nominee for Minister of Science and ICT, held on the morning of July 14, was marred by disruption from the outset. The hearing was adjourned even before it was officially convened, briefly resumed, and then adjourned again. It is currently scheduled to resume at 1:00 p.m.
The chaos began when members of the People Power Party entered the hearing room with printed placards attached to their laptops bearing slogans such as "Choi Minhee Dictatorship OUT" and "Lee Jaemyung, Cooperate." This was interpreted as a protest against the passage of the so-called "three broadcasting laws" (the Broadcasting Act, the Foundation for Broadcast Culture Act, and the Korea Educational Broadcasting System Act) led by the Democratic Party on July 7, which focused on reforming the governance structure of public broadcasters. In response, the Democratic Party strongly objected, and Choi Minhee, chairperson of the Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee, declared the hearing adjourned, stating that "it is impossible to maintain order."
Shouting and informal language were exchanged in the hearing room. Kim Hyun, a Democratic Party lawmaker, protested, "Why are you using informal language? Sit down," while Lee Sanghui of the People Power Party retorted, "I won't sit down," and "Do you think the Democratic Party will rule forever?" People Power Party lawmakers continued to protest, saying, "This is dictatorship."
Representative Kim stated, "While in the opposition on the committee, I have never once held up a placard," criticizing, "This is obstructing the proceedings." He further argued, "Today is the confirmation hearing for the Minister of Science and ICT under the Lee Jaemyung administration, and the placard reading 'Choi Minhee Dictatorship OUT' is clearly false and fabricated information, fake news."
Choi Hyungdoo of the People Power Party argued, "This was the conclusion reached after deliberation among our party members," and claimed, "This is something we have endured enough during the operation of the standing committee." He added, "If the chairperson pushes ahead with the hearing under the pretext of maintaining order, that too will be a significant disgrace."
In response, Chairperson Choi stated, "Placards unrelated to today's agenda interfere with the confirmation hearing," and announced, "In accordance with the National Assembly Act, I request the security staff to remove the placards." As a result, security staff ended up physically removing the placards from the People Power Party members' laptops.
The hearing convened at around 11:20 a.m., but was adjourned again after about 20 minutes due to renewed shouting and clashes. Although the session is scheduled to resume at 1:00 p.m., the vetting of the nominee has yet to begin and remains at a standstill.
The hearing was supposed to examine key policies such as Baek's AI and semiconductor research and development (R&D) strategies, the direction of the science and technology budget, as well as issues related to military service exemptions. However, due to ongoing political strife, there is criticism that the hearing has become effectively nonfunctional.
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