SEOUL– The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) will introduce a motion calling for the dismissal of Foreign Minister Park Jin on Tuesday to hold him responsible for mishandling President Yoon Suk-yeol’s overseas trip last week, the party’s floor leader said.
“We are holding the minister accountable for the worst diplomatic disaster in history marred with hasty preparation, incompetence, humiliation, vulgar remarks and that reaped no results,” Rep. Park Hong-keun told a party meeting.
Park said the party will introduce the dismissal motion later in the day.
The main opposition party has been ramping up its attack against Yoon and the ruling party after Yoon was caught on video appearing to use foul language. Though the recording was not clear due to noise, many thought Yoon was talking about U.S. Congress and U.S. President Joe Biden.
But Yoon’s office rejected the claim, saying he was referring to South Korea’s opposition-controlled National Assembly without mentioning U.S. Congress or Biden. Yoon’s ruling People Power Party also claimed people misheard Yoon’s remarks because the video by local broadcaster MBC had a subtitle misrepresenting them.
Park denounced the incident as being a “severe poison” for South Korea’s alliance with the United States.
Source: Yonhap News Agency