S. Korea foreign minister, lawmaker clash at audit over Ukraine and North Korea
Version 4: Later reports added that Foreign Minister Cho apologized to the committee chair for a procedural request and said summoning South Korea’s ambassador to Ukraine was under consideration.
In short
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon clashed at the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee audit in Seoul on October 6 over the government’s handling of Ukraine and North Korea. Han asked why the government could not “make a peep” at Kim Yo-jong of the North while treating only Ukraine “like catching a rat”, and Cho said she would refuse to answer while that expression was used. Cho said Seoul had received a message from Ukraine containing an apology, that its level fell short of what Seoul expects, and that firm measures were being prepared.
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Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon clashed at the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee audit in Yeouido, Seoul, on October 6 over the government’s handling of Ukraine and North Korea. Han said the government could not “make a peep” at Kim Yo-jong, a department director of North Korea’s Workers’ Party, while treating only Ukraine “like catching a rat”, and asked whether North Korea or Ukraine is the main enemy. Cho replied that as long as that expression was used she would refuse to answer. When Han pressed why the government would not act as firmly toward the North, Cho said she may have fallen short of his expectations but that responding to North Korea as firmly as necessary was a matter of course. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 ]
Han’s questions referred to President Lee Jae-myung’s public criticism of Ukraine over unilaterally disclosing the handover of two North Korean prisoners of war and his demand for an apology, and to what Han called a lukewarm response to a North Korean mine explosion on the western DMZ front, Hankook Ilbo and Seoul Economic Daily reported. [ 2 , 5 ]
The two also clashed over media reports about the October 1 National Security Council meeting. Hankook Ilbo reported the dispute with Unification Minister Chung Dong-young was over countermeasures to the mine provocation, while Seoul Economic Daily said it concerned independent sanctions over North Korean cyber activity and Seoul Shinmun referred to the independent sanctions issue; the documents do not reconcile the accounts. Cho said there was no clash but that differences could exist, and when Han pressed that the question was about differences, she told him not to twist her words. [ 2 , 5 , 6 ]
After Han challenged her answering manner, Cho asked committee chair Song Seok-jun to help the audit proceed smoothly, which Hankook Ilbo described as an unusual request from an agency head to a committee chair. Song said that even provocative language warranted a sincere answer and that coaching him on procedure was discourteous, and asked for an apology. Seoul Economic Daily reported that Cho said she had not intended any such discourtesy and apologised, while CBS NoCut News reported that Han raised his voice, asking whether she had the standing to lecture him. [ 2 , 4 , 5 ]
On Ukraine, Cho told the audit she had received a message containing an apology and continues to communicate with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, but that the level fell short of what Seoul thinks, and that the government intended to take firm measures. Seoul Economic Daily also reported that she said summoning South Korean Ambassador to Ukraine Park Ki-chang back home was under consideration. [ 2 , 5 ]
Why it matters
The hearing puts on public record a dispute inside South Korea’s foreign policy leadership over how firmly to press Ukraine and how to respond to North Korea, aired at the parliamentary audit meant to scrutinise the foreign ministry. Cho’s statement that Kyiv’s apology fell short of Seoul’s expectations, and that firm measures are being prepared, indicates the issue is unresolved. Coverage rests on a small number of outlets reporting the same hearing, so the government’s wider position remains thinly reported.
Key facts
- Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon clashed at the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee audit in Seoul on October 6. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Han said the government could not “make a peep” at Kim Yo-jong of the North while treating only Ukraine “like catching a rat”, and asked whether North Korea or Ukraine is the main enemy. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 ]
- Cho said she would refuse to answer as long as that expression was used. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 ]
- Han cited President Lee Jae-myung’s public criticism of Ukraine over the unilateral disclosure of the handover of North Korean prisoners of war and his demand for an apology. [ 2 , 5 ]
- Cho said she had received a message from Ukraine containing an apology, and that its level differed from what Seoul thinks. [ 2 , 5 ]
- Cho said there was no clash with Unification Minister Chung Dong-young at the October 1 National Security Council meeting, but that differences were possible. [ 2 , 5 ]
- Committee chair Song Seok-jun told Cho that even provocative language warranted a sincere answer and that coaching him on procedure was discourteous, and asked for an apology. [ 4 , 5 ]
- Cho said summoning South Korean Ambassador to Ukraine Park Ki-chang back home was under consideration. [ 5 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon clashed at the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee audit in Seoul on October 6. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Han said the government could not “make a peep” at Kim Yo-jong of the North while treating only Ukraine “like catching a rat”, and asked whether North Korea or Ukraine is the main enemy. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 ]
- Cho said she would refuse to answer as long as that expression was used. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 ]
- Cho said there was no clash with Unification Minister Chung Dong-young at the October 1 National Security Council meeting, but that differences were possible. [ 2 , 5 ]
- Committee chair Song Seok-jun called Cho’s request over the conduct of the session discourteous and asked for an apology. [ 4 , 5 ]
- Han cited President Lee Jae-myung’s public criticism of Ukraine over the unilateral disclosure of the handover of North Korean prisoners of war and his demand for an apology. [ 2 , 5 ]
- Cho said Seoul had received a message from Ukraine containing an apology and that its level differed from what Seoul thinks. [ 2 , 5 ]
Still unclear
- What the reported disagreement between Cho and Unification Minister Chung Dong-young at the October 1 National Security Council meeting concerned. Hankook Ilbo says it was countermeasures over a North Korean mine provocation on the western DMZ front, while Seoul Economic Daily and Seoul Shinmun say it was independent sanctions over North Korean cyber activity; the documents do not reconcile the two accounts.
- Whether an apology from Ukraine meets Seoul’s expectations. Cho said the level differed from what Seoul thinks but gave no details of the message or the gap.
- What “firm measures” toward Ukraine the government intends to take. Cho said such measures were intended but did not describe them.
- Whether the government will summon Ambassador to Ukraine Park Ki-chang. Only Seoul Economic Daily reports this, and Cho said only that the option was under review.
- Whether Cho apologised to the committee chair. Seoul Economic Daily reports that Cho said she had not intended discourtesy and apologised; the other accounts describe the chair’s demand without noting an apology.
- The exact circumstances of the North Korean mine explosion on the western DMZ front. It appears only as the subject of the reported National Security Council dispute, with no date, casualty figure or further detail.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Kukmin Ilbo publishes a headline report on the exchange between Han Dong-hoon and Cho Hyun at the parliamentary audit. [ 1 ]
- Hankook Ilbo publishes a detailed account of the audit, including the National Security Council dispute and Cho’s remarks on Ukraine’s apology message. [ 2 ]
- Korea Economic Daily publishes its report, headlined on Han’s remark about Ukraine and Cho’s refusal to answer. [ 3 ]
- CBS NoCut News publishes a video report on Han’s reaction to Cho’s answering attitude and the committee chair’s rebuke. [ 4 ]
- Seoul Economic Daily publishes its account, adding Cho’s apology to the chair and the possible summoning of the ambassador to Ukraine. [ 5 ]
- Seoul Shinmun publishes its report with excerpts of the exchange. [ 6 ]