Committee chair’s protest against Trump raises concern at PM Office

Senior officials in the Prime Minister’s Office are voicing concern over Park Seok-woon, a committee chairman under its authority, after he joined protests criticizing U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration over American military operations in Venezuela.

Park, a longtime liberal activist, took part in a rally on Monday in front of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, following an American military operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, and his wife Cilia Flores.

As the first speaker at the gathering, which was organized by 267 civic and political organizations, Park delivered a sharply worded speech denouncing Trump and Washington.

“It’s a violent atrocity that will horrify humanity around the world,” Park said, branding the military operation that has left as many as 80 people dead as “murder.”

Participants accused the Trump administration of violating international law and called for the immediate release of Maduro. Organizers have also unveiled plans for a larger anti-U.S. demonstration near Gwanghwamun Square this Saturday.

Within the office of Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, Park’s remarks and actions have stirred unease, particularly given his role as head of the Committee for Grand Social Reform, established last month. The panel advises the prime minister on a wide range of issues, including democracy, inter-Korean relations and education reform.

“There are concerns inside the Prime Minister’s Office. It might be different if he was just a committee member, but he’s the chairman,” a senior official told The Korea Times.

Officials said that many in the government, including the prime minister, are aware of the issue and are signaling that the matter is likely to be addressed soon. For now, no formal steps — such as an official warning — have been taken, they said.

In addition to potentially damaging Korean diplomacy, some legal experts say taking the lead in politically contentious protests or representing the interests of a specific faction could be deemed a violation of the principles of “fair operation” and “smooth coordination of interests” enshrined in the Administrative Agencies Committees Act.

Park is a veteran figure in Korea’s progressive movement and one of the country’s most prominent liberal activists. Over the past two decades, he has led or helped lead major campaigns, including opposition to the deployment of Korean troops to Iraq, protests against the construction of a naval base on Jeju Island, efforts to block the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, the 2008 candlelight rallies opposing American beef imports, demonstrations against the deployment of a U.S. Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense missile defense system and, more recently, a drive to abolish the National Security Law, a Cold War-era statute aimed at curbing activities deemed threatening to the state, particularly those involving North Korea.

His latest activism stands in sharp contrast to the Lee Jae Myung administration’s cautious stance on Venezuela.

In a statement, Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it “hopes that democracy will be restored and the situation in Venezuela will quickly stabilize through dialogue, with the will of the Venezuelan people being respected.” It also urged “all parties to make the utmost efforts to ease tensions,” stopping short of any direct criticism of Washington.

By grounding its stance in principles such as respect for the popular will, de-escalation of regional tensions and the procedural restoration of democracy, the government appears to be seeking to preserve diplomatic flexibility.

In the National Assembly, responses have been sharper than the government’s official line. Sixty-eight lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea issued a statement voicing “deep concern” that the use of force in Venezuela, undertaken without proper international legal procedures, could “threaten international peace and stability.”