[2025 Audit] Science Committee Session Adjourned Again After Kim Wooyoung vs. Park Junghoon Clash... Agencies Silenced

Adjourned After Just 41 Minutes...
Audit Agencies Not Questioned at All
Park Junghoon: "Targeted by Gaeddal After My Number Was Revealed... Can't Use My Phone"
Kim Wooyoung: "Not a Violation of Personal Information Laws Since Park Is a Public Fig

The National Assembly's Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee's audit was suspended again just 41 minutes after it began, following a heated exchange between Park Junghoon of the People Power Party and Kim Wooyoung of the Democratic Party of Korea.

Yonhap News Agency

On October 16 at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Committee Chair Choi Minhee halted the meeting when the argument between Assemblyman Park and Assemblyman Kim escalated during the time allocated for personal remarks, as agreed by the ruling and opposition party secretaries. As a result, during the morning session, representatives from the agencies under audit, including the Korea Aerospace Administration and the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, only gave their opening remarks and did not speak further.

Previously, at the committee audit on October 14, Assemblyman Kim Wooyoung revealed a message from Assemblyman Park Junghoon that read, "Ugh, you pathetic guy!" during the proceedings. Assemblyman Kim disclosed the message while criticizing Assemblyman Park for raising ideological suspicions about Kim Hyunji, the First Secretary to the President, earlier that day. At that time, the audit was also suspended after all People Power Party members left the session in protest.

According to Assemblyman Park's account on the same day, there had been conflict between the two, and Park had texted Kim first in an attempt to reconcile. However, Assemblyman Kim did not reply and, during the following day's committee session, made a statement condemning the 12·12 military coup, apparently referencing the fact that Park's father-in-law, Cha Kyooheon, served as Minister of Transportation under the Chun Doo-hwan administration. Assemblyman Park claimed this was the reason he sent the controversial message.

In his personal remarks that day, Assemblyman Park said, "I apologize to the public and my fellow lawmakers for using profanity toward a colleague, but I have no remorse toward Assemblyman Kim at all," adding, "I cannot understand Assemblyman Kim's actions, and since my phone number was made public, I have become a target of Gaeddal (the Democratic Party's hardline supporters), making it difficult for me to use my phone."

Assemblyman Park continued, "On September 5, Assemblyman Kim came to a meeting room where our party's lawmakers were gathered and shouted, 'Who are you to tell me to leave or stay?' which led to a heated exchange between us. He lost control of his emotions, and although there was no reason to grab my collar, he did so." He added, "If Assemblyman Kim wanted to reveal my text message, he could have just shown the part where it says 'This is Assemblyman Park Junghoon,' but he deliberately made it public."

Assemblyman Kim countered, "My phone briefly showed Park's number while expanding the message, but Assemblyman Park is a public figure who openly prints his number on his business card and shares it with voters. Also, I did not collect Park's number for work-related purposes, so it does not constitute a violation of privacy laws."

Assemblyman Kim also spoke about the September 5 incident, saying, "I told him, 'This is a public space, who are you to say who can come in or not?' and then Assemblyman Park used profanity. Nevertheless, as one person to another, I told him, 'Come up to the rooftop.'"

Chair Choi asked Assemblyman Park to clarify, since Park had stated at a press conference that Assemblyman Kim had also sent a profane text message, but Kim had officially denied ever sending such a message. In response, Park protested, "Am I on trial here?" and Lee Sanghwi of the People Power Party shouted, "Is the chair here to mediate or to stir up more fighting?"

Assemblyman Park said, "I don't know what evidence Assemblyman Kim has, but the next day he sent me a message saying, 'You pathetic XX.' Isn't he bringing up something from a month ago just because I criticized Kim Hyunji, the First Secretary to the President?"

When Assemblyman Park criticized Kim for mentioning the 12·12 incident in the committee, saying, "How shameless is it to drag my family into this?" Assemblyman Kim replied, "I was not talking about your family, I was referring to being an heir of insurrection," which led to further commotion and prompted Chair Choi to declare a recess.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party submitted a disciplinary motion against Assemblyman Park to the legislative office that morning and announced plans to file a complaint with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency for defamation by spreading false information. The People Power Party had already filed a complaint against Assemblyman Kim with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency the previous day for alleged violations of privacy laws and assault.