Park Jiwon to People Power Party: "If You're Wearing Mourning Clothes, Go to Yoon and Kim's Detention Center"

Song Eonseok Calls for Lawmakers to Wear "Black Suits, Black Ties, and Mourning Ribbons" at National Assembly
Protest Against Ruling Party's Legislative Monopoly
Opposition Voices "Death Sentence for Democracy"

Park Jiwon, member of the Democratic Party of Korea. Photo by Asia Economy DB

Park Jiwon, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized People Power Party lawmakers who decided to wear mourning attire at the opening ceremony of the regular National Assembly session in protest of the ruling party's unilateral actions, stating, "The place they should go in mourning clothes is the detention center where former President Yoon Suk-yeol and Kim Keon-hee are."

On August 31, Park Jiwon wrote on his social networking service (SNS), "People Power Party lawmakers say they will wear mourning attire at the National Assembly opening ceremony, despite the National Assembly Speaker's suggestion to wear hanbok," and conveyed this criticism.

He continued, "As reported, it is typical of the prot?g?s of Lee Baeyong, who allegedly bought the position of head of the National Institute of Education from Kim Keon-hee with a gold turtle worth about 2.5 million won. Their theft is so swift that they are already lobbying Jeon Hangil for nominations. Assemblyman Kwon Seongdong went to the restaurant but claims he did not eat, the National Assembly delegation visiting China is not attending due to Kim Jong-un's presence, and they are disrupting President Lee Jaemyung's summit proposal by insisting on a one-on-one meeting."

Song Eonseok requests attendance at the National Assembly in "black suits, black ties, and mourning ribbons" through a parliamentary notice

On August 31, Song Eonseok, floor leader of the People Power Party, sent a parliamentary notice requesting that lawmakers observe the dress code of black suits, black ties, and mourning ribbons, and attend the opening ceremony of the regular session and the first plenary session to be held in the afternoon of September 1.

Park Sunghoon, the party's chief spokesperson, met with reporters at the National Assembly that day and explained that this request "contains a message of protest against the ruling party's legislative monopoly and runaway actions," adding, "In particular, it strongly expresses opposition to the three special prosecutor act amendments."

A parliamentary official told Yonhap News, "The Democratic Party of Korea has effectively pronounced the death of parliamentary democracy through its unilateral management of the National Assembly," and added, "Rather than 'political shows' like wearing hanbok, this action is intended to call for genuine bipartisan cooperation."