[Edaily Reporter Byung-ho Jang ] At a press conference held at the National Assembly on the 10th, independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon raised allegations of “surveillance of opposition lawmakers,” claiming that a staff member from the Prime Minister’s Office had concealed their affiliation and posed as a member of the public to ask a question. Prime Minister Han refuted the allegations, stating that the staff member had merely “asked a question while passing by” and that the claims of surveillance were exaggerated.

Earlier that day, ahead of the question-and-answer session with the government, Rep. Han was holding a press conference in front of the National Assembly’s plenary hall when an attendee asked him, regarding a post he had made on Facebook asking, “Why is the Prime Minister openly directing the investigation?” “Do you actually think this constitutes directing the investigation?” When Rep. Han asked about the person’s affiliation, he replied, “I’m a member of the public.”

Toward the end of the press conference, Rep. Han said he had heard that the attendee was a staff member of the Prime Minister’s Office and noted that this needed to be verified. Later on Facebook, he identified the individual as the head of the General Planning Division at the Prime Minister’s Office and claimed, “He pretended to be a reporter but lied by saying he was a member of the public.” He added, “This is truly absurd and bizarre,” and stated he would hold the person accountable.

Later, during his turn for questioning the government, the lawmaker displayed a photo of the Prime Minister’s Office staff member on the screen and asked Prime Minister Han, “Do you know this person?” When Prime Minister Han replied, “He is a staff member of the Prime Minister’s Office,” the lawmaker pressed him, asking, “Is the Prime Minister’s Office conducting surveillance on opposition lawmakers?” Prime Minister Han countered, “That is an inappropriate remark.”

The lawmaker repeatedly asked whether the staff member had asked the question on the Prime Minister’s orders. When Prime Minister Han denied this, stating, “That is not the case. I did not instruct this,” the lawmaker pressed his attack, asking, “Would you have had a Prime Minister’s Office staff member surveil members of the ruling party as well?”

Prime Minister Han later provided further clarification on the situation during the questioning session with Rep. Park Ji-won of the Democratic Party of Korea. He explained, “Rep. Han was holding a Q&A session with reporters in a public place when a staff member from the Prime Minister’s Office who happened to be passing by asked the question.”

Regarding the staff member’s identification of himself as a “member of the public,” Prime Minister Han said, “That was inappropriate for a public official.” However, he countered, “If asking a question while passing by (in a public place) is considered surveillance, then we are all under surveillance at every moment,” adding, “I think that’s an exaggerated claim.”