On the 7th, National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-sik appeared for questioning by the special counsel regarding the insurrection. Woo noted, "The National Assembly is an institution that was invaded through a state of emergency, and it is the institution that lifted the emergency in accordance with the constitution and legal procedures with the people." He added, "I will do my utmost to establish the legal and political justice related to the martial law."
On that day, around 9:40 a.m., Woo arrived at the Seoul High Prosecutor's Office, where the special counsel is located. The special counsel is set to conduct witness questioning of Speaker Woo starting at 10 a.m.
When reporters asked, "You directly came out today in response to the special counsel's summons; what do you want to emphasize as the Speaker of the National Assembly?" Woo responded, "Clarifying the facts about the insurrection situation that arose from the recent state of emergency is historically a necessary responsibility to the constitution and the people." He continued, "As the Speaker of the National Assembly, I received a request for cooperation in a witness statement from the special counsel, which can be done either in writing or in another way. I think that cooperating by personally appearing to clarify the facts aligns with the spirit of the establishment of the special counsel, so I came to attend today."
Woo further stated, "The National Assembly is also an institution that was invaded through a state of emergency and is the institution that lifted the emergency with the people according to constitutional and legal procedures." He emphasized, "I believe it is a natural duty as the Speaker of the National Assembly to come out and pursue the truth regarding the special counsel's investigation," adding, "Through today's testimony, I will do my utmost to establish the legal and political justice related to the martial law as the Speaker of the National Assembly."
In response to a reporter's question about his thoughts on the People Power Party leadership's investigation following the state of emergency's lifting, Woo said, "I came out today to cooperate with the special counsel to reveal the truth," and he only stated, "I will answer those matters through today's testimony."
On this day, the special counsel is expected to investigate the overall situation before and after the vote on the resolution demanding the lifting of the national emergency declared on December 3rd of last year against Speaker Woo. In particular, it is anticipated that the investigation will examine whether the People Power Party leadership hindered the attendance of its lawmakers during the National Assembly vote.
On December 3rd of last year, Speaker Woo held an emergency press conference immediately after former President Yoon Suk-yeol declared a state of emergency, stating, "The National Assembly will respond in accordance with constitutional procedures," and summoned all National Assembly members to the plenary session. At that time, the resolution demanding the lifting of the state of emergency was passed at 1:02 a.m. on the 4th, with only 18 out of 108 lawmakers from the People Power Party participating, resulting in a vote of 190 present and 190 in favor.
Additionally, the special counsel is expected to investigate the circumstances surrounding the military and police's attempts to enter the National Assembly during the state of emergency. Park Ji-young, deputy special counsel, noted on the 5th, "The special counsel requested cooperation in a witness investigation from Speaker Woo, who represents the victims and is the representative of the institution that lifted the unconstitutional and illegal state of emergency, and discussed the timing and methods of the investigation." He added, "As the National Assembly is designated as a victim in terms of arrests and damage under the Insurrection Special Counsel Act, we will investigate all of these aspects."