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July 12. The meeting and other activities were boycotted by the ruling Saenuri Party due to comments made by Democratic Party spokesperson Hong Ik-pyo. (by Lee Jeong-woo

By Kim Su-heon, staff reporter and Seok Jin-hwan, Blue House correspondent

The mood was chilling rapidly on July 12 as the Blue House and the Saenuri Party (NFP) went on the offensive over remarks by Democratic Party floor spokesperson Hong Ik-pyo, who said that South Korean President Park Geun-hye was the descendant of someone who should never have been born. The Blue House and the Saenuri Party intensified their pressure, completely rejecting all scheduled meetings at the National Assembly and demanding an apology from the leader of the Democratic Party, as well as Hong’s resignation.

With the Democratic Party calling these actions “trivial fault-finding,” the preliminary reading of the transcript of the 2007 inter-Korean summit and the adoption of the report of a parliamentary investigation of public health care, which had been scheduled for that day, were both called off.

If the showdown between the ruling and opposition parties goes on much longer, it is conceivable that the parliamentary investigation of evidence that the National Intelligence Service was meddling in politics and the issue of reading the meeting transcript may be forgotten as the situation deteriorates into mutual recrimination.

Early on the morning of July 12, Lee Jeong-hyeon, public relations secretary for the Blue House, held an emergency press conference. “Hong’s comment rejected the legitimacy of the president, who was chosen by the Korean people. It was a direct challenge to liberal democracy,” Lee said, officially asking that an apology be made to the Korean people and to the president.

“The comment Hong made yesterday was rash and violent,” Lee continued. “They not only cast doubt on Hong’s personal qualifications to be a lawmaker, but they also make one wonder how he could become a lawmaker and dare to represent the Korean people. This is a completely unacceptable act that damages the pride of Korea and is an insult to the Korean people.”

This was a much stronger attack than Lee’s remark from the previous day. Lee had said, “It is common for people to protest and grumble about the election results, but conceding is a mark of one’s good breeding and character.”

After Lee’s press conference, the Saenuri Party also convened an emergency meeting of its supreme council and harshly censured Hong’s comments.

“Hong directly insulted and defamed Korea’s commander in chief,” said Saenuri Party chairman Hwang Woo-yea. “We hope that the head of the Democratic Party will issue an apology and that the party will take the appropriate disciplinary measures [against Hong].”

“This was an extreme remark that a lawmaker should never have made,” said Saenuri Party floor leader Choi Kyung-hwan. “Hong sent a message late last night trying to weasel his way out of trouble, saying that he regretted it if Park had been personally offended. But this is not something he can get out of.” Choi’s remarks made clear that the Saenuri Party intends to deal firmly with Hong’s comment.

The Democratic Party made clear that, since Hong had already expressed his regret after deliberating about the remark with the leadership of the party, it cannot step forward to issue an apology. In addition, the party criticized Saenuri’s action as “trivial fault-finding intended to draw attention away the poor performance of the National Assembly.”

The Democratic Party also urged the Saenuri Party to take part immediately in the visit to the National Archives of Korea, the reading of the transcript of the 2007 inter-Korean summit, and the parliamentary investigation to unearth the truth about the charges that the National Intelligence Service posted illegal comments online before last December’s presidential election.

Kim Kwan-yong, chief spokesperson for the Democratic Party, also released a statement. “Yesterday, Hong made a statement of regret about the comments in question after discussing the issue with the party leadership,” Kim said. “For the Saenuri Party to threaten to boycott the entire National Assembly schedule because of Hong’s remark despite the fact that Hong issued a quick expression of regret is an irresponsible stance for a ruling party to take.”

“Even though Hong said something inappropriate, the Saenuri Party should not become the spokesperson of the Blue House,” said Jeong Seong-ho, another senior Democratic Party lawmaker. “The party’s behavior is ridiculous.”

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]