Kim Seok-gi (center), chairman of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, answers reporters' questions on April 22 at the National Assembly's Communication Center after speaking about Minister of Unification Cho Myung-chul's remarks on "North Korean nuclear facilities." From left, Kim Gi-hyeon, a member of the People Power Party on the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, Chairman Kim, and Kim Keon, the committee's floor leader. [Yonhap News]  

The People Power Party on the 11th demanded the convening of relevant standing committees, including the National Defense Committee and the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, to investigate the government's alleged cover-up of facts related to the attack on the Korean ship (Namooho) in the Strait of Hormuz.

Members of the National Assembly's National Defense and Foreign Affairs and Unification Committees, affiliated with the People Power Party, held a press conference at the National Assembly's Communication Center on the same day, urging the convening of a full committee meeting for a current affairs inquiry.

Members of the People Power Party on the National Defense Committee stated at the press conference, "We urge the government, even if belatedly, to immediately take strong action by defining the current situation as a de facto state of war."

They pointed out, "The Ministry of National Defense remained idle without responding despite the serious incident of the lives and property of Korean citizens being attacked in a conflict zone, and did not respond at all to the demands for reports from National Defense Committee members." They added, "South Korea was hastily trying to cover it up, even though it was attacked."

They reiterated their demand for a full National Defense Committee meeting for a current affairs inquiry, stating, "The person responsible for ordering the use of deceptive terms like 'ship fire' and 'unidentified flying object' to mislead the public must be identified."

Members of the People Power Party on the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee also said, "A week after the incident occurred, the government only belatedly announced the fact of the external attack yesterday evening," adding, "However, the attacker has still not been identified."

They criticized, "The ruling party refused to convene a meeting, citing 'confirmation of external attack is a priority'," and "After the government officially announced the external attack, they are delaying the meeting again, citing 'the attacker has not been identified'."

They urged cooperation in convening a full Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee meeting, stating, "We cannot help but have strong suspicions that this delay is motivated by an intention to avoid unfavorable diplomatic and security issues in consideration of the election."

The government announced the previous day that the attack on the Namooho in the Strait of Hormuz on the 4th was caused by a strike from an unidentified flying object, but stated that it would "not prejudge" the origin of the launch and did not identify it.