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與, 국회일정 취소…'귀태발언' 홍익표 윤리위 제소

July 12, 2013 - 18:33 By KH디지털2

민주당 홍익표 원내대변인 (좌측)과 청와대 이정현 홍보수석 (코리아헤럴드 박현구, 정희조 사진기자)


새누리당은 12일 박정희 전 대통령을 의역하면 '태어나지 않아야 할 사람'이라는 뜻의 '귀태'(鬼胎)로, 박근혜 대통령을  '귀태의 후손'으로 비유한 민주당 홍익표 원내대변인의 발언을 문제삼아 모든 원내 일정의 중단을 전격 선언했다.

나아가 "국회의원으로서 품위를 훼손한 것은 물론 국회의 명예와 권위를 심각하게 실추시켰다"며 홍 의원을 국회 윤리특별위원회에 제소했다.

새누리당은 민주당의 적절한 조치를 요구하며 이날로 예정된 국가기록원 보유 2007년 남북정상회담 대화록 예비 열람 일정을 전면 취소했다.

새누리당과 민주당 열람위원들은 이날 오전 국회에서 상견례를 겸한 첫 회의를 한 뒤 곧바로 경기도 성남 소재 국가기록원 대통령기록관을 방문해 'NLL(엔엘엘)'과 NLL의 한글표기인 '북방한계선', '남북정상회담' 등 7개 핵심 검색어로 예비열람을 하고 필요한 문건을 추릴 계획이었다.

당은 대신 황우여 대표 주재로 국회에서 긴급 최고위원회의를 소집해 대책을 논의했다.

황 대표는 회의에서 "국가원수 개인에 대한 직접적 명예훼손•모독에 그치는 게 아니라 국민에 대한 모독이고, 국가의 위신을 스스로 짓밟고 격하시키는  것"이라면서 "당 대표의 사과와 당직자에 대한 조치를 취하라"고 말했다.

황 대표는 "국회의원의 직분과 관련돼서 한 발언인 만큼 응분의 조치를 해야 한다"면서 "이제 말싸움하고, 서로 상처 내고 자멸의 길을 걷는 정치를 종식하는 계기가 됐으면 한다"고 밝혔다.

최경환 원내대표는 연합뉴스와의 통화에서 "오늘 원내 일정을 전면 중단하고 대책을 논의하려고 한다"면서 "일부에서는 홍익표 의원의 의원직 사퇴까지 얘기했지만 당직 사퇴를 포함한 거취 문제를 민주당이 해야 할 것"이라고 말했다.

유일호 대변인은 비공개 부분 브리핑에서 "민주당 김한길 대표를 비롯한 지도부는 이번 발언이 고위 당직자들이 쏟아내는 대선 불복성 발언의 연장선상인지, 박 대통령을 태어나지 말아야 할 후손으로 생각하는지 이른 시일 내에 입장을 밝혀야  한다"고 촉구했다.

유 대변인은 "아울러 김 대표의 사과와 홍익표 의원의 거취 등에 관한 민주당의 책임 있는 조치가 필요하다"면서 "국회 차원의 조치는 양당 원내지도부가 조속히 결정해주기 바란다"고 말했다.

새누리당의 원내 일정 중단 결정에 따라 공공의료국정조사특위 전체회의와  '가습기살균제 피해구제법 공청회'를 위한 국회 환경노동위원회 회의 등 다른 국회  일정도 줄줄이 취소될 것으로 전망된다.

 

<관련 영문 기사>

DP member’s Park remarks raise partisan tension, stall parliament

An opposition spokesman’s remarks deemed insulting to President Park Geun-hye’s father ignited political conflict Friday, prompting the ruling party to demand an apology and boycott all bipartisan proceedings.

Democratic Party floor spokesman Rep. Hong Ihk-pyo referred to former iron-fisted ruler Park Chung-hee as “a person who should not have been born.” In a news briefing he deplored the fact that the nation is ruled by Park’s offspring.

In an emergency Supreme Council meeting Friday, the Saenuri Party called on the DP leadership to make a public apology and to take appropriate measures against Hong.

The party requested the parliamentary ethics committee to discipline him for damaging the reputation of the National Assembly.

It also cancelled a scheduled preliminary viewing of the controversial transcript of the 2007 summit between late President Roh Moo-hyun and former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.

“The comments are defamation and insult against the head of state. It does not stop there; it is an insult to the public and trampling on the country’s dignity,” Saenuri Party Chairman Rep. Hwang Woo-yea said.

He went on to say that the DP should clarify whether the comments are the party’s official stance or Hong’s personal opinion, and that the DP floor spokesman should retract and apologize for the comments.

“The party should also take responsibility, and an apology from the party chairman and actions against the party official should be forthcoming.”

Hong made the remark while criticizing the National Intelligence Agency over the alleged election interference by its agents last year and its revelation of the summit script that indicated former President Roh attempted to compromise the Northern Limit Line.

He condemned the president’s father and Kishi Nobusuke, who is the maternal grandfather of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and a leading wartime politician and former prime minister.

Citing the book “Park Chung-hee and Kishi Nobusuke” by professor Kang Sang-jung of Japan’s Seigakuin University, he said the descendants of such people are in power in Korea and Japan.

Former President Park held office from 1963 to 1979 after he overthrew the government in a military coup in 1961.

Nobusuke was incarcerated as a class-A war crime suspect after Japan’s surrender but was never indicted, and went on to serve as Japan’s prime minister in the late 1950s and the early 1960s.

He was deeply involved in the running of the puppet state, the Empire of Manchukuo established by Japan in the 1930s in what is now northern China.

Hong also said that President Park Geun-hye and Abe show similarities in denying historical facts, and that the Korean president “appears to be dreaming of a Yushin republic.”

Yushin refers to the revised constitution introduced under the Park Chung-hee regime that allowed the former president to extend his term in office.

In the face of criticism, Hong later said that he was only citing a book, and that he regrets that his comments were taken as a personal attack on the president.

Senior presidential press secretary Lee Jung-hyun also called for Hong to make a public apology saying that his comments cast doubt on whether he is suitable to hold office.

The two parties had agreed to view the transcript in order to verify claims that Roh had denied the validity of the Northern Limit Line or the NLL.

The bipartisan feud over Roh’s comments was recently reignited, and the issue has been further agitated by the National Intelligence Service’s actions regarding the matter.

Last month, the NIS disclosed its records of the summit and on Thursday made a public announcement saying that Roh’s ambiguous words regarding the NLL were tantamount to “giving up the NLL.” The NIS has earned criticism from both sides for its interpretation of the summit records, and the opposition bloc has branded NLL-related developments as being part of a ploy to divert the attention from the parliamentary investigation into the spy agency’s alleged election interference.

For its part, the DP hit back at the ruling party saying that Hong’s comments and viewing the transcript of the summit were separate issues.

“Disclosing the minutes of the inter-Korean summit was a very difficult decision. It required the agreement of over two-thirds (of the National Assembly) and (the decision) was agreed to by the ruling and opposition parties,” DP deputy floor leader Rep. Jung Sung-ho said. He added that the Saenuri Party’s decision not to view the transcript as scheduled was “completely groundless.”

“The fact that the ruling party, which has power and responsibility, has done this cannot be tolerated when disclosing the transcript was designed to put to rest political strife.”

By Choi He-suk