National Assembly audits open for Year 2 of Lee Jae-myung government... Ruling and opposition camps clash over 'people's livelihoods' vs. 'accountability'
The National Assembly's audit of government affairs for the second year of the Lee Jae-myung administration opens on October 6 and runs through the end of the month. The ruling and opposition parties are set to face off over contrasting themes: 'livelihoods first' versus 'verifying misgovernance.' Unlike last year, this year's audit covers the first year of the Lee Jae-myung government's rule and includes schedules for joint standing committees such as the Intelligence Committee and the House Steering Committee.
The Democratic Party has framed this audit as one focused on 'policy and livelihoods.' It plans to highlight the three mega-projects and the Future Response Fund as strategic investments. At the same time, it intends to fend off opposition attacks by arguing that inadequate housing supply policies under the Yoon Suk-yeol government and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon are to blame for the current jeonse and monthly rent crisis and supply cliff in the capital region, while countering criticism of fiscal expansion by claiming the previous government's fiscal stance stifled growth.
The People Power Party, for its part, aims to make this audit a tribunal for 'the Lee Jae-myung government's misgovernance.' It has identified what it calls the 'ten major policy failures,' including the suspected landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), the overhaul of the judicial system such as the abolition of prosecutors' offices, the jeonse and rental chaos, the controversy over the introduction of single-stock leveraged exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and the nationwide farmland survey, and is launching scrutiny of each. The Alaska LNG project investment negotiations with the United States, high inflation and interest rates, the creation of the Future Response Fund, and the Yellow Envelope Law are also targets of its offensive.
At the Legislation and Judiciary Committee audit, a central point of contention is Chief Justice Cho Hee-dee's refusal to resubmit a nominee for the Supreme Court justice vacancy. On October 2, Cho submitted a written opinion to the office of committee chair Seo Young-kyo and indicated he would not appear as a witness at the audit. In his opinion, Cho stated that with a criminal complaint filed over the exercise of the nomination authority, 'it is difficult to rule out the possibility that investigative proceedings will proceed,' making his attendance difficult.
The Democratic Party believes Chief Justice Cho infringed on the public's right to a trial and committed constitutional and legal violations, including convening the justices' council meeting during the December 3 martial law episode. The People Power Party countered that President Lee Jae-myung infringed on the chief justice's nomination authority and that the ruling party is intimidating the judiciary. Led by the ruling party, Cho was adopted as a general witness by the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, which on the 6th demanded his appearance at the Supreme Court audit. On the 4th, committee chair Seo Young-kyo held a press conference arguing that Cho's refusal to appear violates the National Assembly Act and pressed him to step down.
Meanwhile, conflict between the parties over witness selections continued. The Democratic Party rejected the adoption of audit witnesses including Kim Hyun-ji, the first deputy chief of staff at the presidential office. The People Power Party claimed the Democratic Party thwarted the selection of key figures tied to the single-stock ETF issue, such as former presidential policy chief Kim Yong-beom.
