Woo Won-shik defends spouse's overseas trips as 'official diplomatic duty'

Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Woo Won-shik, who served as National Assembly speaker during the first half of the 22nd Assembly, has pushed back against criticism over his spouse accompanying him on 14 overseas trips during his tenure, insisting the arrangement constituted official public duty.

Woo posted a statement on his social media account Thursday saying that under the Passport Act, the spouse of a National Assembly speaker is entitled to a diplomatic passport. "The spouse's accompaniment on the Assembly speaker's parliamentary diplomacy trips is the performance of official duties in accordance with diplomatic protocol that has legal grounding and has been consistently observed," he said.

Woo said claims by People Power Party lawmaker Ju Jin-woo that the trips amounted to "junkets" or "criminal conduct" reflected a fundamental misunderstanding of how parliamentary diplomacy works and were nothing more than an attempt to smear him. He added that Article 10 of the Enforcement Decree of the Passport Act stipulates that diplomatic passports be issued to the spouses of the president, the National Assembly speaker and other senior officials.

"The reason a diplomatic passport is issued to a spouse is that accompanying the speaker on overseas visits is itself recognized as an official diplomatic activity necessary for the smooth conduct of diplomatic affairs," he said. He added that the speaker's spouse had participated not only in accompanying the speaker but also in official meetings with foreign parliamentary leaders and their spouses, as well as multilateral and bilateral spouse programs, helping to elevate the country's standing and strengthen bilateral ties.

Woo also said his spouse had carried out official schedules without fail — listening directly to the concerns of Korean diaspora communities and local Korean business representatives working to promote the country abroad, and encouraging embassy staff and mission personnel serving in difficult postings.

The controversy began Tuesday when Ju disclosed details of Woo's overseas travel record during his time as Assembly speaker.

According to Ju, Woo made 14 overseas trips during his tenure as speaker, with his spouse joining him on every one. The total budget came to 8.29 billion won ($5.6 million), averaging 592 million won per trip.

"What role exactly did the spouse play?" Ju said. "The National Assembly oversees the budget on behalf of the people. Can the Assembly speaker squander taxpayer money like this?"

Ju also cited the case of former National Election Commission Chairman Roh Tae-ak, whose overseas trips with his spouse were subject to a search and seizure, and said Woo's spouse-accompanied trips should likewise be investigated. "Authorities must move swiftly to conduct a search and seizure," he said.