At the National Assembly Science. ICT. Broadcasting. and Communications Committee's audit of government agencies, text messages exchanged between ruling and opposition lawmakers were made public, causing a commotion. This happened when Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Kim Woo-young disclosed a text message he received from People Power Party lawmaker Park Jeong-hoon that read, "Sigh, you pathetic punk!" Opposition lawmakers objected that Kim, in raising the issue, revealed Park's personal mobile phone number.
On the afternoon of the 14th, the committee held a parliamentary audit of four institutions, including the Korea Communications Commission, at the National Assembly. Former Korea Communications Commission Chairperson Lee Jin-sook, who was arrested on Sept. 2 for alleged violations of the Public Official Election Act, the day before the Chuseok holiday, and then released, also appeared.
Ruling and opposition lawmakers clashed sharply over Kim's disclosure of the text messages. Kim made public at the audit a message Park sent to Kim on the 2nd of last month that read, "This is Park Jeong-hoon. Please give me a call" and "Sigh, you pathetic punk."
Kim said, "I made remarks condemning the wrongful insurrection acts of the Dec. 12 coup, and I spoke about a certain lawmaker who now calls the Lee Jae-myung administration a dictatorship," adding, "Then that person sent me such a text privately. That person today announced the false claim that the presidential office was linked by "Kim Il Sung followers."
People Power Party lawmakers strongly protested Kim's remarks. They especially pointed out that in revealing a personal matter between the two lawmakers, Park's personal phone number was exposed. People Power Party lawmaker Kim Jang-kyom said, "I'm a witness. That day, (Kim) even grabbed Park by the collar. But why do this?" Lawmaker Lee Sang-hwi of the same party also said, "Even if it's a parliamentary audit, can you disclose a phone number?"
After the audit was suspended, Park met with reporters and explained what happened. Park said, "On the 2nd of last month, when the Democratic Party unilaterally passed the laws related to the Korea Communications Commission at the standing committee, I spoke out in protest, and Kim came over to where our party's lawmakers were, hurled insults, and grabbed me by the collar," adding, "In the evening, I thought I should clear things up with Kim, so I asked a ruling party lawmaker for his number and called, but he didn't answer, so I sent a text."
He went on, "But there was no reply—in a word, I was snubbed. The next day at the standing committee, he played videos and showed photos related to my family and committed the outrage of targeting my family," adding, "After that kind of attack, I sent the text calling him a 'pathetic punk' at night, and right away I got the reply, 'You pathetic bastard.' He deleted the abusive text he had sent."
Park also said, "The reason Kim brought up something from over a month ago is because today (the 14th) I raised an issue related to Director Kim Hyun-ji," stressing, "It's brazen behavior to unilaterally cut out the parts he wrote and disclose only what he wants."
At the audit that day, former Korea Communications Commission Chairperson Lee Jin-sook also made her first statement since being released. Describing herself as a "Chuseok sacrifice," she said that if you fall out of favor with President Lee Jae-myung, anyone could end up in the same position as her.
The former chairperson said, "Two days after I was automatically dismissed and removed, the idea that they would even handcuff me and transfer me was beyond imagination," adding, "I believe my arrest was a message that if you fall out of favor with the president, it could happen to you as well."