"Regardless of Party," Insults and Shouting Flare: Where Has 'Policy Scrutiny' Gone?

As the parliamentary audit marking the second year of the Lee Jae-myung administration wrapped up its first week of hearings on October 9, criticism has emerged that proceedings have been marred from the outset by crude language, shouting, and picket protests.

At the audit venue, which is meant to examine state policy directions, review detailed initiatives, and offer constructive alternatives, lawmakers from both the ruling and opposition parties instead clashed while hurling provocative remarks.

Critics point out that as extreme confrontational politics aimed solely at catering to hardline supporters played out across the audit floor, meaningful policy scrutiny has vanished, leaving behind little more than clips tailored for YouTube Shorts.

The Legislation and Judiciary Committee emerged as the fiercest battleground between the rival parties among all standing committees that launched their audits.

During the committee's first audit session on October 6, verbal warfare persisted, sparked by a clash between the Democratic Party of Korea, which demanded that Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae testify, and the People Power Party, which insisted he be allowed to leave the chamber in line with parliamentary convention.

People Power Party lawmaker Kim Tae-gyu remarked, "Let's make one truth about Owl Rock."

The comment appears to reference allegations of historical distortion surrounding the film "The Assassin," which depicts the fatal shooting of the late First Lady Yuk Young-soo.

Rebuilding Korea Party lawmaker Park Eun-jung criticized him, saying, "Become a decent human being," and Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Yong-min added, "He has never once been human." Kim Tae-gyu fired back, saying, "Look at your level. You become a human being," and "Did Owl Rock get under your skin?"

During the afternoon session, harsh words were exchanged as Representative Park Hyung-soo, the People Power Party's ranking member on the committee, voiced strong objections over how Committee Chair Seo Young-kyo of the Democratic Party presided over the meeting.

Throughout the audit, Chair Seo repeatedly cut off remarks and even restricted the speaking privileges of lawmakers Kim Tae-gyu and Park Hyung-soo.

During the audit on October 8, another heated clash broke out over Chair Seo's speaking time.

People Power Party lawmaker Gwak Gyu-taek argued that Chair Seo spoke for an excessive amount of time, to which Seo pushed back, calling the complaint insulting and maintaining that she was simply guiding the meeting as committee chair.

At the audits for the Finance and Economy Planning Committee and the Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee, proceedings were temporarily disrupted due to picket protests staged by opposition lawmakers.

People Power Party lawmakers affixed protest pickets to laptops at their seats during the audit on October 8.

The audit was delayed by roughly 30 minutes when People Power Party lawmakers refused the request by Committee Chair Cho Seung-rae of the Democratic Party to take down the pickets.

Following consultations between the ranking members of both parties, the People Power Party eventually removed the pickets.

The audit by the Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee was also temporarily suspended after People Power Party lawmakers attached pickets to their laptops.

Controversy over affixing protest signs in audit halls is a recurring skirmish in almost every parliamentary audit, having also occurred in the past when the Democratic Party was in the opposition.

During the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee audit on October 7, friction erupted when government and ruling party officials were seen laughing at questions posed by an opposition lawmaker.

When People Power Party lawmaker Park Choong-kwon, a North Korean defector, questioned Unification Minister Chung Dong-young regarding reports alleging that the Ministry of Unification and Lawyers for a Democratic Society attempted to coax North Korean defectors into returning to North Korea, Minister Chung and Democratic Party lawmakers burst into laughter.

As an infuriated Representative Park protested, Democratic Party lawmakers struck back, escalating the argument into a confrontation marked by informal speech and shouting.

Shouting matches also flared when Representative Park warned that if the Unification Ministry refused to withdraw its use of the term "Bukhyangmin" (people from the North), he would refer to the minister as "Minister Buk Dong-young."

At the Education Committee, amid clashes over schools organizing group viewings of the film "The Assassin" for students, ruling and opposition lawmakers engaged in verbal altercations after Committee Chair Kim Hee-jung of the People Power Party turned off the microphone of Rebuilding Korea Party lawmaker Kang Kyung-sook.

Shin Yul, a professor of political science and international relations at Myongji University, explained that criticism over parliamentary audits failing to check the administration and present alternative policies has been recurring for decades.

He noted that as an increasing number of lawmakers become conscious of YouTube Shorts, parliamentary audits appear to have degraded even further into platforms designed for sensational and abrasive outbursts.

Kim Kwan-ok, director of the Signal Political Research Institute, analyzed that politicians feel compelled to capitalize on public demand to draw attention, creating a mutually reinforcing cycle.

He added that because the parliamentary audit serves as a key window for the opposition to hold the government accountable, thoroughly examining state administration with logic and reason rather than remarks designed to inflame public sentiment would prove far more beneficial for the opposition as well.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.