PM's office issues warning to own official for asking lawmaker questions without identifying self

The office of South Korea's Prime Minister, Han Seong-sook, issued a strong rebuke to one of its staff members after a lawmaker alleged that the individual had assumed the identity of a journalist and posed questions during a press conference at the National Assembly. This incident occurred on Thursday during a press briefing held by Rep. Han Dong-hoon, who was addressing a lobbying scandal involving the nominee for the position of justice minister.

Partway through the session, an unidentified individual raised a question concerning Rep. Han's criticism of the prime minister from the previous day. After a brief exchange, the lawmaker then asked the person about their affiliation, to which they responded that they were merely an ordinary citizen. Upon further investigation, it was discovered that the individual was an official from the Prime Minister's Office.

The matter was further exacerbated during a parliamentary interpellation session that took place later that day. Rep. Han vociferously criticized the prime minister for the incident, arguing that it constituted unauthorized surveillance of a lawmaker. However, the Prime Minister's Office categorically denied these allegations, stating that the official had been asking questions in an impromptu manner while passing through the Rotunda Hall of the National Assembly.