Park Jung, chairman of the National Assembly Hwan-no, gives a greeting at the plenary meeting of the Environment and Labor Committee held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the afternoon of the 27th of last month./News 1
In addition, four members of the Democratic Party of Korea went on an overseas business trip to Vietnam and Laos on the 23rd in a situation where flood damage was severe across the country, but decided to return home early when criticism poured out. Among the four were former National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seok and Rep. Park Jung, chairman of the Environment and Labor Committee, a standing committee in charge of flood damage support and restoration. The Democratic Party has pointed out that the government and the ruling party’s response to flood damage was poor, and criticized President Seok-yeol Yoon for not returning home early even when he went to Ukraine. In the power of the people, he said, “It is another Naero Nambul that shows the low level of the Democratic Party.”
Former Democratic Party Chairman Park Byeong-seok, Chairman Hwan-no Park, and Rep. Yoon Jun-byeong and Choi Ki-sang left the country on that day for a 6-day, 5-night visit to Vietnam and Laos. Some within the party pointed out whether it was right to go on a business trip as the flood damage that had already occurred was significant and torrential rain continued on the weekend.
It is said that the number of business trips originally included one member of the People’s Power. However, it was reported that it was canceled when the leadership of the People’s Power issued an “order to refrain from overseas business trips” as flood damage increased.
Among the members of the Democratic Party who left the country that day, the controversy grew as Chairman Park Jeong-hwan-no was included. The Environmental Protection Agency has the Ministry of Environment, which is in charge of national water management and flood damage support and restoration, as its competent agency. The person in charge of overseeing whether the government is properly responding to flood damage is absent. Rep. Park Jeong was included in the Democratic Party’s legislature invited by the Chinese authorities to a Tibet exposition last month, and was criticized for “turning a blind eye to the oppression of human rights in Tibet and being used by Chinese propaganda.”
On the 15th (local time), when President Yoon Seok-yeol visited Ukraine’s capital Kiiu and held a summit meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky to promise war damage support, the Democratic Party criticized President Yoon for delaying his return home, creating a “vacancy in the flood control tower.” Members of the Democratic Party said, “I turned away from the people suffering from heavy rain, did I have to go during the flood?” “What are the people to President Yoon?”
As criticism grew over the overseas business trips of members of the Democratic Party, the leadership stepped forward and ordered them to return home. In a notice on the afternoon of the same day, floor spokesperson Lee So-young said, “The floor leadership conveyed its opinion that it is not appropriate to travel abroad during a prearranged diplomatic schedule or during a flood, and the remaining three lawmakers, excluding former Speaker Park Byung-seok, plan to return home early tomorrow.” At the same time, he said, “In the case of former Chairman Park, we took into account the official schedule with the speaker of the other country’s National Assembly.”
People’s Power said, “I am full of spirits that Rep. Park Jeong, the chairman of the Hwan-no Committee, has come forward and led Democratic Party lawmakers to visit overseas,” and said, “I strongly condemn the Democratic Party’s dereliction of duty.”
In a commentary, Chief Spokesperson Kang Min-guk said, “Is it common sense that Chairman Hwan Roh, who should be handling the bill to support victims, left for Vietnam, and today, when torrential rains just started?”
2023-07-23 13:39:00
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