| Rep. Choi Kyung-hwan, left, floor leader of the ruling Saenuri Party, speaks to his counterpart of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), Rep. Jun Byung-hun, after all DP lawmakers walked out of an interpellation session at the National Assembly, Seoul, Tuesday. DP members left the session in protest of a verbal attack made by Rep. Lee Woo-hyun of the ruling Saenuri Party on the DP's Kang Gi-jung who scuffled with President Park Geun-hye's bodyguard on Monday. / Yonhap |
Bloody scuffle pits DP against presidential office
By Jun Ji-hye
| Rep. Kang Gi-ju |
The DP asked Cheong Wa Dae to issue an apology, saying its lawmaker was assaulted by President Park Geun-hye's bodyguard.
However, the presidential office said it is considering taking legal action against Rep. Kang, stating that the body guard's lips were badly cut and that he needed 10 stitches in hospital.
Kang and the bodyguard surnamed Hyun became engaged in the scuffle right after President Park finished her speech on administrative affairs given in the National Assembly on Monday.
According to the accounts provided by both sides, Kang kicked a bus Hyun and other bodyguards were aboard, which was parked in front of the Assembly's main building. Kang was demanding the bodyguards move the vehicles in order to make enough room for his party to stage a protest rally against the Park government.
The physical altercation occurred after Hyun got out of the bus to ask Kang about why he kicked the vehicle. Rep. Jung Sung-ho, the DP's vice floor leader, said that Hyun acted violently first with excessive force against the sitting lawmaker.
“Cheong Wa Dae should stop claiming that Hyun was a victim. Kicking the bus has not resulted in damage to property or amounts to an act of violence,” said Jung. “Even after Kang identified himself as a lawmaker, the bodyguard proceeded to subdue him by grabbing him by the back of his neck.”
The DP's heavyweight Park Jie-won argued, “Hyun's lips hit the back of Kang's head, but this happened as Hyun pulled Kang roughly.”
At the interpellation session of the National Assembly, DP lawmakers strongly demanded that Assembly Speaker Kang Chang-hee express regret over what it says is an “incident of assault” by the presidential bodyguard against the parliamentary member.
This demand caused more than an hour's delay to the parliamentary session. The speaker ended up saying, “As speaker, I express my deep regrets that Rep. Kang Gi-jung was held under physical restraint for a few minutes although the situation was on unexpected accident.”
The speaker asked Cheong Wa Dae to establish the details of the incident at the earliest possible date and take appropriate measures.
However, critics said that Rep. Kang Gi-jung is not free from controversy because he kicked the parked bus.
When asked why he kicked the vehicle, rather than knocking on the window, he responded, “Because it was too cold.”
Professor Kim Hyung-joon at Myongji University said, “Lawmakers here sometimes make the mistake of regarding themselves immune from legal responsibilities. Such attitudes come from their sense of entitlement.”
Korean Language
민주 "靑 경호요원 강기정 폭행"…靑 사과 요구
민주당은 19일 전날 박근혜 대통령의 시정연설 후 국회 본관 앞에서 빚어진 민주당 강기정 의원과 청와대 경호 지원요원간 충돌사태에 대해 청와대의 사과를 요구했다.
정성호 원내 수석부대표는 이날 국회에서 열린 의원총회에서 이번 사건을 '청와대 경호(지원요)원에 의한 국회의원 폭행'으로 규정, '청와대에서 피해자라고 주장하며 언론플레이를 하고 있다'며 '적극적으로 대처하고 청와대의 사과를 요구하겠다'고 밝혔다.
정 수석부대표는 '박 대통령이 국회를 떠났음에도 (국회 본관 앞) '차벽'이 제거되지 않아 강 의원이 항의하는 과정에서 발로 차량을 살짝 찼다는데, 이는 재물손괴나 폭행 어떤 것도 안 된다'며 '국회의원 신분을 밝혔음에도 불구, 경호(지원요)원이 강 의원의 뒷덜미와 허리를 잡고, 또다른 경호원은 팔을 꺾는 상황이 3분 가량 지속됐다. 이는 그냥 넘어갈 수 없는 사태'라고 주장했다.
이어 '현장에서 해당 가해자의 신원을 확인하려 했지만 청와대 경호실이 교묘한 방법으로 빼돌렸다'며 '변장을 시켜 빼돌린 것으로 추측한다'고 덧붙였다.
정 수석부대표는 전날 여야 원내지도부 회동과 정진석 국회 사무총장 면담 자리에서도 이번 사태에 대해 강하게 항의하고 진상규명에 협조할 것을 요구했다고 전했다.