Choi Jae-hyung: "Regarding the audit of Wolseong Unit 1, it is impossible that a conclusion was reached beforehand"

Chairman Choi Jae-hyung of the Board of Audit and Inspection is attending the plenary meeting of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee held at the National Assembly on the 25th and is drinking water. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Choi Jae-hyung, Chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection, responded to former Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Baek Woon-gyu's criticism that the audit on the closure of Wolseong Unit 1 was conducted with bias, stating, "There is no such thing as making a conclusion beforehand."

On the 25th, at the full meeting of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, Chairman Choi replied to a question from Park Joo-min, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, saying, "This audit was not initiated by the Board of Audit and Inspection deciding the audit matters first, but was conducted because the National Assembly requested an audit on the validity of the early closure of Wolseong Unit 1."

Earlier, former Minister Baek pointed out in an interview with a daily newspaper that "the audit was driven by a one-sided logic favoring pro-nuclear power," and indicated that Chairman Choi was at the center of this.

In response, Chairman Choi said, "It is impossible to conduct an audit with a conclusion already made before the audit begins," adding, "The claim that the audit was pushed forward with a predetermined conclusion, as you are concerned, is not true."

Regarding former Minister Baek's remarks, he said, "It is true that I asked many questions because the chairman presides over the ex officio hearing," but added, "I did not lead the audit according to pro-nuclear power logic; rather, I asked questions about the validity, so he may have felt that way."

On the criticism about the auditors' high-handed attitude, he stated, "After the audit ended, not only the personnel authority but also the inspection department is investigating whether there were any problems during the audit process, including attitude and other issues," and added, "We will verify if there were such concerns and correct them immediately."

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