Kim Jong-un's China Visit Takes Center Stage at National Assembly Audit and Interpellation

As the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee conducts a comprehensive audit of the Foreign Ministry and Unification Ministry, among others, on the 27th, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's visit to China has emerged at the center of questioning from both ruling and opposition parties. The audit is also expected to address the situation surrounding the Korean Peninsula, the ROK-U.S. alliance, and North Korea's landmine provocations in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ, an area where no troops or weapons are to be stationed between the two Koreas).

In a letter sent to the United Nations Security Council, North Korea claimed the landmine incident was a "staged fabrication" by South Korea. Military authorities proposed military talks with North Korea last week, but the North has yet to respond.

At the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee comprehensive audit on the 27th, key issues are expected to include the decision to postpone rebalancing the National Pension Service's asset allocation and the matter of abortion pills. In addition, the Climate, Energy, Environment and Labor Committee will conduct audits of the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Economic, Social and Labor Council, among others, on the same day. Audits in the areas of foreign affairs and security, as well as welfare and labor, will take place simultaneously at the National Assembly that day.