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Parliamentary interpellation overshadowed by martial law mudslinging

Published: 12 Feb. 2025, 18:56 Updated: 12 Feb. 2025, 18:59

MICHAEL LEE
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Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, left, answers questions from People Power Party Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Feb. 12. [YONHAP]

The country’s main political parties clashed over procedural controversies surrounding President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment trial as government officials appeared for questioning by lawmakers at the National Assembly on Wednesday.

Though the annual four-day questioning of officials is ostensibly intended to serve as a chance for lawmakers to scrutinize the government’s management of the country’s diplomatic relations and national security concerns, the start of this year’s session was overshadowed by partisan mudslinging over Yoon’s short-lived imposition of martial law on Dec. 3 and subsequent impeachment.

Both parties also used the session to air their doubts about the fairness of official efforts to uncover the truth of Yoon’s martial law declaration.

Acting Justice Minister Kim Seok-woo, who was the first government minister to be grilled by lawmakers, was asked by Democratic Party (DP) Rep. Lee Choon-suak whether the prosecution’s investigation into Yoon could be trusted.

Lee was referring to suspicions surrounding a Dec. 6 phone call between Lee Jin-dong, deputy director of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, and Kim Yong-hyun, the former defense minister accused of trying to enforce Yoon’s martial law decree.

Acting Justice Minister Kim Seok-woo answers a question at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Feb. 12. [NEWS1]

However, the acting justice minister denied that Lee acted with any nefarious intent by speaking to the former defense minister.

Lee previously said that he called the former defense minister only to seek his cooperation with the prosecution’s investigation into his actions on the night Yoon declared martial law.

The conservative People Power Party (PPP), which is aligned with the government, also used the session to indirectly criticize the DP.

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, who was the second minister to face lawmakers, was asked by PPP Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun for his opinion on why the impeachment motion passed against the president was modified from its original version to remove accusations that he pursued a foreign policy that was overly focused on maintaining good relations with Japan.

In his response, Cho said it is “important to maintain consistency” in foreign relations and speculated that the section criticizing Yoon’s approach to Japan was omitted for this reason.

During his presidency, Yoon emphasized strengthening trilateral security cooperation with Washington and Tokyo, much to the chagrin of the DP, which argues that the Japanese government has demonstrated insufficient remorse for its past wrongdoing against Koreans.

Though no representatives of the Constitutional Court attended Wednesday’s parliamentary session, their absence did not spare justices from facing criticism by lawmakers.

In his speech to lawmakers in the morning, PPP floor leader Rep. Kweon Seong-dong criticized the court for admitting the prosecution’s interrogation records of officials as evidence in the impeachment trial, calling the move a violation of the country’s criminal code.

Kweon said the court’s actions could erode public trust and its standing as an impartial institution.

However, the PPP itself was criticized by DP leader Lee Jae-myung, who characterized the conservative party as being overly focused on defending Yoon.

BY MICHAEL LEE [[email protected]]