‘There Was No Insurrection,’ Kim Tae-gyu Says of Chun Doo-hwan; Ruling Party Says ‘We Can’t Proceed’ as He Attends House Steering Committee Audit, Which Is Suspended

[Financial News] The Democratic Party of Korea refused to proceed with the parliamentary audit on the 29th, demanding that Kim Tae-gyu, a People Power Party lawmaker who said of former President Chun Doo-hwan, convicted of insurrection-related charges including the 12/12 Military Insurrection and sentenced to life in prison, that “it was not an insurrection,” be removed from the chamber.
Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Cheon Jun-ho, the party’s floor representative on the House Steering Committee, said, “This morning, I called on Kim to apologize for insulting the May 18 victims and their families with his remarks that neither Chun Doo-hwan nor Yoon Suk Yeol was involved in an insurrection, and demanded that he resign from the committee. But now I see he has attended. He should apologize, and I also request that steps be taken immediately for him to resign from the committee. If he does not agree, I ask the chair to have him removed.”
In response, People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Yong-geun retorted, “The Democratic Party lawmakers said Kim shouldn’t be here, so I looked up the law on parliamentary audits. No matter how much I look, apart from Article 13 of the audit law, which concerns disqualification and recusal, there is nothing that would prevent a National Assembly member from conducting an audit.”
Lawmaker Yoon pressed the point, asking, “Is Kim subject to disqualification or recusal?” He demanded, “At the very least, if this is the House Steering Committee, make clear, based on the audit law, why he is subject to disqualification or, if he is subject to recusal, why.”
Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Park Jeong-hyeon responded, “I simply cannot understand remarks like those from lawmaker Yoon. Chun Doo-hwan was part of the insurrectionist force, and prosecutors also sought the death penalty for Yoon Suk Yeol in his second trial today. The whole nation calls him the ringleader of an insurrection, so can a representative of the people who says it was not an insurrection be here?”
Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Seo Mi-hwa also said, “Kim even denies the insurrection recognized in a Supreme Court of Korea ruling. How can we regard someone like this as a colleague and let him serve on the House Steering Committee? It is disgraceful in itself that a lawmaker who should uphold the Constitution is sitting here,” she said, sharply criticizing him.
Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Lee Ju-hee also snapped, “You didn’t come in this morning, so why are you coming in now? What makes you so brazen as to come back in?” She added, “Kim’s remarks defending the insurrection were no mistake. To this day, he has offered neither an apology nor any remorse,” and called for Kim’s immediate resignation.
Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Jeon Yong-gi noted, “Lawmaker Yoon said there were no grounds to disqualify Kim, but to be precise, Kim denied the Constitution—the very source of all a National Assembly member’s authority. Should a lawmaker who defends an insurrectionist be allowed to exercise the rights to question and audit protected by the Constitution?” He called for a recess so the ruling and opposition parties’ committee representatives could discuss measures concerning Kim.
Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Lim Mi-ae also protested to House Steering Committee Chair Han Byung-do, saying it would be difficult to continue the audit without a firm decision on measures such as removing Kim from the chamber.
Chair Han responded, “Even I can see that Kim said neither Chun Doo-hwan nor Yoon Suk Yeol was involved in an insurrection, directly denying the constitutional order and democracy. Those remarks abandon even the minimum qualifications and responsibilities of a National Assembly member,” he rebuked him.
He continued, “I will not tolerate Kim, who refuses even to offer a proper apology, attending the parliamentary audit as if nothing had happened. I hope the representatives of both parties will confer during a recess on how to address this issue,” he said, and declared a recess.
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