2019 South Korean National Assembly attack
The 2019 South Korean National Assembly attack occurred on 16 December 2019, when supporters of the Liberty Korea Party, Our Republican Party, and Taegeukgi units attempted to enter the Korea National Assembly Proceeding Hall.
Events
editThroughout 2019, conservative activists protested the ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and the Moon Jae-in administration for multiple reasons. One was the aftermath of the impeachment of Park Geun-hye in 2017, which caused a split in the country's conservative politics between the mainstream Liberty Korea Party (formerly Saenuri Party) and the far-right Our Republican Party (2017), whose supporters, known as the "Taeguk troops" over their use of the Taegukgi, held demonstrations against her impeachment. Another was the appointment of Cho Kuk as Minister of Justice, which he resigned from in October over the Cho Min academic credentials scandal, but also because of opposition to his planned reforms that would reduce the powers of the prosecutor general, a longstanding idea in South Korean politics.[1][2]
On 16 December 2019, the Liberty Korea Party, Korea's mainstream conservative party, held "The contest to condemn the revision of the CIO Act and the Election Act" (Korean: 공수처법·선거법 날치기 저지 규탄대회), which included provisions shifting powers from prosecutors to the police and was being voted on that day.[1] The rally started around 11:00 that day, with members of the LKP as well as "Taegeuk squad"s in attendance. It was estimated by the police to have 6,000 participants, though LKP claimed it had 10,000 participants. LPK lawmakers criticised entry restrictions on the National Assembly building, and the main gate was opened after LKP Secretary General Rep. Park Wan-su formally complained to National Assembly Secretary General Yoo In-tae. This prompted the protestors to storm the Assembly grounds. LKP leader Hwang Kyo-ahn, who was present at the rally, reportedly encouraged the demonstrators, saying "Your rage will impact the National Assembly...You’ve already won a victory".[2] As most of the demonstrators were in their 60s and 70s, the police initially acted with restraint to avoid injuries. However, some protestors became violent, spitting on Justice Party members, grabbing their hair and shaking them.[1][3][4][5] Sul Hoon, a member of the DPK, said he was attacked.[6] Others tried to rush the doors against the directives of LKP, partially breaking them and tussling with police.[2] Despite calls by the LKP and the police, protestors refused to leave and remained on the grounds well into the evening, wit arrests starting at 19:30.[6][6][2] Speaker Moon Hee-sang scrapped the vote and denounced the rally, stating "Today, supporters of a certain group almost violated the National Assembly, something that must never happen... I am ashamed about the extreme political confrontation, where politicians only treat other parties as enemies and oppose everything, instead of having talks and trying to find a compromise"[1]
Two years later, South Korean media compared the incident to the 2021 United States Capitol attack. In the American attack, however, lawmakers were not victims of direct physical violence.[7][8][9]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d Gibson, Jenna. "Protesters Storm National Assembly, Capping off a Divisive Year for Korean Politics". thediplomat.com. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
- ^ a b c d Ser, Myo-ja (16 December 2019). "Mayhem keeps Assembly from voting on bills". koreajoongangdaily.joins.com. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
- ^ Kim, Yongwook (17 December 2019). "보수신문도 국회 난입 한국당 지지자들 비판" [Even conservative newspapers criticized supporters of the Liberty Korea Party who attack into the National Assembly]. MediaToday (in Korean). Retrieved 17 September 2021.
- ^ Choo, In-young (17 December 2019). "황교안, 국회 진입 시위대에 "여러분 승리"…박지원 "참 한심"" [Hwang Kyo-ahn said, "Everyone wins" to protesters entering the National Assembly.... Park Jie-won said, "You're pathetic".]. Joongang Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved 17 September 2021.
- ^ Jeong, Yeon-Cheol; Bang, Jong-Hyuk (16 December 2019). Woo, Seong-Ho (ed.). "'태극기 부대' 불러들인 한국당…"국회 유린당했다"" [The Liberty Korea Party brought in the 'Taegukgi rallies'....]. MBC News (in Korean). Retrieved 17 September 2021.
- ^ a b c "Watch: Conservative protesters in South Korea attack lawmakers - UPI.com". UPI. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
- ^ Son, Wonje (10 January 2021). "의회 난입, 미국보다 빨랐던 '태극기부대'" [Breaking into Capitol. "Taegeukgi crowds" was faster than the U.S.]. The Hankyoreh (in Korean). Retrieved 17 September 2021.
- ^ Lee, Gyehong (8 January 2021). "미국의 '성조기 부대'와 대한민국의 '태극기 부대'" [The U.S. "Stars and Stripes crowds" and Republic of Korea's "Taegukgi crowds"]. SJ post (in Korean). Retrieved 17 September 2021.
- ^ Jeong, Hyun-Sook (7 January 2021). "트럼프 '성조기 부대'의 난동..비교되는 2019년 국회도 이런 '난리'" [Trump's "Stars and Stripes crowds" caused a disturbance. The National Assembly in 2019 is also compared to this "disruption"]. NewsFreeZone (in Korean). Retrieved 17 September 2021.
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