Claiming to Be a "Private Citizen"… Asking Questions While Posing as a Reporter Sparks "Surveillance" Controversy

[Anchor]

An official belonging to the Prime Minister's Secretariat posed as a private citizen to ask questions to independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon, leading to the exposure of the official's identity. When Lawmaker Han questioned whether the Prime Minister's Secretariat was conducting surveillance on opposition lawmakers, the Prime Minister's Secretariat explained that it was simply a casual question.

Reported by Go Jeong-hyeon.

[Reporter]

This afternoon outside the plenary chamber of the National Assembly where the interpellation session was being held.

This question arose during a Q&A session between independent Lawmaker Han Dong-hoon, who has been repeatedly raising suspicions regarding Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won, and reporters.

[Mr. A - Independent Lawmaker Han Dong-hoon: (You posted on Facebook today that you would order the Prime Minister to direct an investigation. With what intent did you post that it was an investigation directive?) I will order a strict investigation and verification. (You said verification, verification.) I said I would direct it. (Yes, verification...) Which reporter are you? Which outlet are you with? (I am a private citizen.)]

Prime Minister Han Sung-sook stated during yesterday's interpellation session that she had ordered the verification of the leak route for investigative materials regarding nominee Kim, and this person asked a question concerning Lawmaker Han's criticism of it as an "investigation directive." Although the individual claimed to be a "private citizen," verification by Lawmaker Han's side revealed the person to be a section chief belonging to the Prime Minister's Secretariat.

Lawmaker Han immediately launched an offensive against Prime Minister Han during the interpellation session, pointing out that the section chief in question had asked the question after giving advance notice in a Telegram chatroom that also included Prime Minister Han.

[Lawmaker Han Dong-hoon: The Prime Minister's Secretariat's Planning and General Affairs Section Chief ○○○, right? Is the Prime Minister's Secretariat conducting surveillance on opposition lawmakers?]

Prime Minister Han acknowledged the fact that the employee asked a question, but denied that it constituted surveillance.

[Prime Minister Han Sung-sook: (The section chief in question) seems to have responded with something like, "I am just a private citizen." If asking a question in a public place while passing by is considered surveillance, wouldn't we be under surveillance at every single moment?]

An official from the Prime Minister's Secretariat explained, "Since many people gathered in a public place, the public official simply went and asked a question once; it was not done with any malicious intent."

(Video by: Kim Yong-woo | Video Editing by: Jung Sung-hoon)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.