Key facts
- Prime Minister Han Seong-sook expressed regret over a staff member's actions at a press briefing.
- An official from the Prime Minister's Office posed as a citizen at a lawmaker's press conference.
- The incident occurred during a briefing by Rep. Han Dong-hoon regarding a lobbying scandal.
- The official was later identified as a director-level staffer from the Prime Minister's Office.
- The Prime Minister's Office denied allegations of illicit surveillance.
Prime Minister Han Seong-sook expressed regret on Friday following an incident where a member of her staff attended a lawmaker's press briefing and asked questions while posing as an ordinary citizen. The event took place on Thursday during a press conference held by independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon concerning a lobbying scandal involving the justice minister nominee.
During the briefing, an unidentified individual questioned Han Dong-hoon's criticism of the prime minister. When pressed by the lawmaker about his affiliation, the individual claimed to be an ordinary citizen, while holding a mobile phone displaying a Telegram chat room titled "room for the prime minister and key senior officials." This individual was subsequently identified as a director-level official from the Prime Minister's Office.
Later that day, Rep. Han Dong-hoon voiced strong objections in a parliamentary interpellation session, accusing the Prime Minister's Office of "illicit surveillance" on a lawmaker. In response, Prime Minister Han stated during a parliamentary interpellation session on Friday that she offered words of regret to Rep. Han and the public for the "unnecessary misunderstanding and controversy." She deemed the official's conduct inappropriate for not clearly identifying himself at an opposition lawmaker's press conference.
The Prime Minister's Office stated that a stern warning was issued to the official. However, the office denied the surveillance claims, asserting that the official asked questions spontaneously while passing through the National Assembly's Rotunda Hall, an accessible area for the public, and did not intentionally infiltrate the press conference.