Prime Minister Han Seong-sook said on the 11th to independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon, "I express regret to Representative Han and to the public for causing unnecessary misunderstanding and controversy by answering that he was an ordinary citizen." She was referring to an incident in which an employee affiliated with the prime minister's office asked aggressive questions at a National Assembly news conference opened by the lawmaker without identifying the person's affiliation.
Han added, "As a public official, asking questions at an opposition lawmaker's news conference without clearly identifying one's affiliation was inappropriate conduct."
She also noted, "I understand that we have gone to the National Assembly speaker's office to explain, and that the Vice Minister is visiting Representative Han Dong-hoon's office to apologize," sharing the status of follow-up steps.
When Representative Song again pointed out that an apology to the public was necessary, Han said, "I feel sorry to the public," bowing her head again.
The controversy began the previous day when Section Chief A from the prime minister's office inserted himself into Representative Han's National Assembly news conference. With a Telegram chat room titled "Prime Minister + senior executives room" open on a mobile phone, Section Chief A asked a question related to an issue in which Representative Han had criticized the prime minister in the past.
When Representative Han tried to verify the person's affiliation, he dodged by saying he was "an ordinary citizen." After Section Chief A's real identity was revealed, Representative Han criticized, saying, "Was the prime minister's office surveilling an opposition lawmaker?"