Choi Jae-hyung, Chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection, "Political Independence is Important... Appointing Appropriate Figures in Consultation with the Blue House"

Chairman Choi Jae-hyung of the Board of Audit and Inspection attended the full meeting of the Budget and Accounts Committee held at the National Assembly on the 24th and removed his mask before his opening remarks. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Choi Jae-hyung, Chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection, said on the 31st regarding the appointment of audit commissioners, "It is desirable for the nominator and the appointer to consult in advance to ensure that an appropriate person is appointed."

On the same day, at the National Assembly Budget and Accounts Committee, in response to a question from Jo Hae-jin of the United Future Party, who suggested the need for legislation to prevent the Blue House from interfering in the nomination of audit commissioners by the Chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection, Choi said, "I expect that the issue of audit commissioners will be resolved well through sufficient consultation."

He emphasized, "The essence of the responsibility required by the Constitution for the Chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection is for the Board to function properly and gain the trust of the people," adding, "To achieve this, it is important to maintain political independence."

He added, "The right to nominate audit commissioners is a responsibility entrusted to the Chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection by the Constitution," and said, "Regardless of who becomes an audit commissioner, I am trying to fulfill my duty with the sole thought of creating a Board of Audit and Inspection trusted by the people."

Since April, there has been a vacancy in the audit commissioner position, but the appointment has been delayed due to differences between the Blue House and the Board of Audit and Inspection. Recently, a media outlet reported that Chairman Choi refused twice requests from the Blue House to nominate Kim Oh-soo, former Deputy Minister of Justice, for the vacant audit commissioner position.

Meanwhile, when Yang Yi-won-young of the Democratic Party pointed out that Choi's father had said in an interview that the Moon Jae-in administration was bad, Choi explained, "He made that comment without knowing he was being interviewed. I understand that his casual remarks were published by an internet media outlet."

Regarding Yang's criticism that a senior executive of the Chosun Ilbo criticized the early shutdown of Wolseong Unit 1 in an editorial, Choi dismissed it by saying, "My family is not handling the Board of Audit and Inspection's work."

Choi said about the audit request filed against the Board of Audit and Inspection and himself, claiming bias in the audit of the early shutdown of the nuclear power plant, "There is a separate organization called the Audit Request Advisory Committee, composed mostly of external members," and added, "I intend to follow the committee's decision."

The Board of Audit and Inspection is currently auditing whether the decision by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power to shut down Wolseong Unit 1 early was appropriate.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.