National Assembly Audit to Serve as a Testing Ground for Government Failures, Not a Showcase for Livelihood Achievements
South Korea's ruling and opposition parties will launch parliamentary audits across 17 standing committees for about three weeks starting November 6. The ruling Democratic Party (DP) is expected to scrutinize the government's livelihood achievements, while the opposition People Power Party (PPP) will focus on government missteps, setting the stage for an all-out confrontation.
This year's audit, held in the second year of the administration's term, differs in character from last year's, which came just five months after the change of government. The DP, then in opposition, campaigned under the banner of dismantling the Yoon Suk-yeol government's insurrection, but this time it will be fully auditing the Lee Jae-myung administration's state affairs, putting the party on the defensive as the ruling party.
The PPP has vowed to turn this audit into a "verification stage for the Lee Jae-myung government's failures." It plans a sweeping offensive centered on the controversy over Cabinet appointments that erupted just before Chuseok, an apparent landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone, and the ruling party's calls to impeach and investigate Chief Justice Jo Hee-de. It is also targeting controversies over the introduction of single-stock leveraged exchange-traded funds and the ballot paper shortage in the June 3 local elections.
Judiciary committee a major battleground… witness selection also a test of nerve: The PPP will also scrutinize personnel issues at the National Assembly's Steering Committee. The party has framed the failed nominations of former minister candidates Yong Hye-in and Kim Seung-won as personnel failures and plans to probe alleged involvement by Kim Hyun-ji, the presidential office's first deputy chief of staff.
A standoff over witness selection is also evident. The PPP requested Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won as witnesses regarding the creation of a semiconductor cluster in the Jeolla region. The two chairmen were left off the initial witness list, but the Trade, Industry, Energy, SMEs and Startups Committee has agreed for the ruling and opposition parties to discuss their inclusion further. The DP leadership has instructed its members to avoid what it calls "humiliation-style witness requests" targeting business leaders and to refrain from summoning corporate figures. A request to summon Kim Hyun-ji as a witness was rejected.
DP floor leader Han Byung-do said at a caucus meeting on the 17th that this audit should become a policy-focused one. The DP declared a "livelihood-centered" audit at a Chuseok public sentiment forum. With friction already emerging over witness selection and other preparations, the two parties are bracing for the audit's opening on November 6.
