A staff member at the Prime Minister's Office who sparked a "surveillance" controversy at a recent press conference held by independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon has been removed from duty.
According to the Prime Minister's Office, the staffer was relieved of duties as of the 14th. On the 10th, the staffer was passing by the site of Han's press conference in the National Assembly's Rotunda Hall when they abruptly posed confrontational questions. Han's side pushed back, calling it "surveillance of an opposition lawmaker," while the Prime Minister's Office said, "Regardless of the reason, it was inappropriate conduct for a serving public official to ask questions at a lawmaker's press conference without identifying themselves," adding that it had "issued a stern warning."
Prime Minister Han Seong-sook also described the staffer's actions as "inappropriate conduct" during a parliamentary interpellation session on the 11th, apologizing to the lawmaker and to the public. She drew a line, however, at the claim that the office had engaged in surveillance, saying, "It was not surveillance." She also explained that the office had briefed the National Assembly speaker's office on the circumstances and that Kim Young-soo, first vice minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, had visited Han's office to apologize.
The prime minister added that the government would "prepare measures to prevent a recurrence where necessary," and the removal from duty followed three days later.
