By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter

Prime Minister Han Seung-soo's absence Wednesday from an ad hoc National Assembly committee meeting on the resumption of American beef imports without prior notice drew resentment from opposition party lawmakers.

The prime minister's office informed committee Chairman Choi Byung-gook of Han's absence five minutes before the meeting began, saying Han was scheduled to visit Saemangeum reclamation site in North Jeolla Province and could not make time for the meeting because of the schedule conflict, sources said.

Lawmakers of the largest opposition Democratic Party (DP) claimed Han, like President Lee Myung-bak, did not respect the legislature. They were referring to Lee's appointment of three Cabinet ministers without having Assembly confirmation hearings.

Committee members of the DP and the governing Grand National Party (GNP) engaged in a brawl over the motive of Han's absence for several minutes, and this led Chairman Choi to call for a recess 40 minutes after the meeting started.

Floor leaders of four opposition parties, including the DP and the Democratic Labor Party, met Assembly Speaker Kim Hyong-o to discuss the matter. Kim pledged to ask Han to attend the committee meeting.

Members of the committee wrapped up the session after agreeing to hold another meeting Monday.

Earlier, opposition party lawmakers insisted Han should come to the Assembly and answer questions after completing his schedule.

Cho Joong-pyo, deputy minister for administrative affairs at the prime minister's office, participated in the meeting instead of Han, arguing he was the right person to answer questions as he oversees the prime minister's office.

Cho said, ``A prime minister has never gone to the standing committees to answer questions by committee members before, and he/she only presents and answers lawmakers at the plenary session or an ad hoc committee dealing with budgetary affairs.''

Rep. Kim Dong-cheol of the DP said it was inappropriate for the prime minister not to inform the committee members in advance of his absence, adding that earlier the GNP and DP members agreed to have Han at the meeting to answer questions.

DP legislators insisted that they would have rearranged the date and time had they known Han's schedule in advance.

The committee plans to dispatch a bipartisan delegation consisting of seven lawmakers to the Korean Embassy in Washington D.C. on Aug. 11 for a five-day fact-finding mission.

The committee is scheduled to hold a two-day hearing with witnesses from Aug. 18.

hkang@koreatimes.co.kr