hankyoreh

with Speaker Chung Ui-hwa (far right) presiding

By Kim Kyung-uk, staff reporter

An opposition lawmaker ignited controversy on Sept. 12 with a reference to rumors that President Park Geun-hye was absent for seven hours on the day of the Sewol ferry sinking in April because of a “tryst.”

The remarks by New Politics Alliance for Democracy lawmaker Sul Hoon drew an immediate backlash from the ruling Saenuri Party (NFP), which demanded his resignation as chair of the National Assembly Education, Culture, Sports, and Tourism Committee and threatened to lodge a complaint with the Ethics Committee.

Sul’s remarks came during a meeting of the National Assembly Speaker and Deputy Speakers and the heads of standing committees, with Speaker Chung Ui-hwa presiding. Sul brought up allegations about Park’s whereabouts during the seven-hours on Apr. 16 - the date of the ferry sinking - while objecting to Chung’s calls to hold the meeting behind closed doors.

“What did [President Park] do for those seven hours at the Blue House?” Sul asked. “I don’t think it’s true what people are saying about her having a tryst. I think that’s probably not it.”

The remarks were ostensibly made to dispute widespread rumors about the reason Park did not receive any face-to-face reports for seven hours after the sinking. But the unexpected mention of unconfirmed rumors about a “tryst” by the President - at a meeting organized to help return the National Assembly to normal as it deals with a bitter dispute across the aisle over the special Sewol Law - ended up touching off a firestorm.

The Saenuri Party immediately expressed outrage.

“The remarks today threaten to become an extremely critical and severe issue, depending on how things play out,” said party spokesperson Park Dae-chul.

“It’s troubling to think what might happen if there are rumors about ‘the President of the Republic of Korea having a tryst’ going around,” Park added. “The Saenuri Party intends to examine a possible complaint against Sul Hoon to the National Assembly Ethics Committee.”

Sul’s office countered that the lawmaker was “well within his rights to say that certain rumors about the President having a tryst are untrue.”

“You have to wonder whether this anger among Saenuri lawmakers over words for the President are just an attempt to get in her good graces,” the office added.

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