DPK criticizes foreign, defense ministers' absence at parliamentary meeting
A person walks past a National Assembly in Seoul, Sept. 10. Yonhap
The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) on Tuesday denounced Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun for their decision to skip an interpellation session at the National Assembly.
The interpellation session on foreign affairs, unification and security affairs, initially set for 2 p.m., was eventually postponed to 7 p.m., with the opposition parties demanding the ministers' attendance.
The ruling People Power Party (PPP) explained that both ministers had valid reasons for their absence, including attending the second Responsible Artificial Intelligence in the Military Domain (REAIM) conference.
The PPP administrative office also claimed their absence from the plenary session had already been approved by both parties beforehand.
The DPK, however, argued that the ministers were using the REAIM conference as excuses to avoid attending the session.
Lawmakers of the DPK and the minor Rebuilding Korea Party issued a statement earlier in the day, calling it a "disgrace" for the Assembly to hold an "interpellation session on diplomatic, unification and security affairs without the foreign and defense ministers."
During the session, the rival parties are likely to clash over the controversial appointment of Kim Hyoung-suk as the new director of the Independence Hall of Korea. Kim recently came under fire for his previous remarks that appear to justify Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule.
With just two months until the U.S. presidential election, lawmakers are also expected to ask the ministers about issues surrounding U.S. protectionism, Indo-Pacific strategy and relations with China.
On Seoul-Tokyo ties, the DPK will likely take issue with the potential risks of contaminated water released over the past year from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan, as well as the UNESCO World Heritage listing of an old Japanese mine complex linked to wartime forced labor. (Yonhap)