Hot Issue at National Assembly Audit Defense Committee... Difficulties from the Start

Min Hong-chul, Chairman of the National Defense Committee of the National Assembly, is presiding over the full meeting of the National Defense Committee at the National Assembly on the 25th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The National Assembly's National Defense Committee's audit is facing difficulties. Starting from the 7th with the Ministry of National Defense, the audit is expected to involve fierce debates over allegations concerning Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae's son's leave and the 'defection controversy' surrounding the Yeonpyeong Island public official who was shot by North Korean forces. Although this year's audit is significantly scaled down due to the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), concerns are rising that political attacks may continue, potentially leading to disruptions.

The People Power Party has announced that the core issue is whether Minister Choo was involved in the improper extension of her son's leave and plans to focus intensively on this during the Ministry of National Defense's audit. Regarding the preferential treatment allegations involving Mr. Seo, the People Power Party has requested ten witnesses, including Minister Choo, Mr. Seo himself, duty soldier Hyun Mo, retired Colonel Lee Cheol-won, the KATUSA regional commander and support team leader, and Minister Choo's aides.

However, there are concerns within and outside the military that the Ministry of National Defense's audit might be engulfed by political attacks and focus solely on the controversy surrounding Minister Choo. During last month's confirmation hearing for Minister of National Defense Seo Wook, the military preferential treatment allegations involving Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae's son Seo became a major issue, significantly reducing questions about Minister Seo's doctoral thesis plagiarism, false address registration, and 'gap investment' allegations.

Debates are also expected over the 'defection controversy' concerning the Yeonpyeong Island public official who was shot by North Korean forces. The People Power Party proposed summoning even the brother of the public official killed in the West Sea to the audit. However, lawmakers have been criticized for interpreting or selectively leaking the same reports differently depending on their political stance, which could hinder the truth-finding process and instead be used for political strife. Particularly, as the Special Intelligence (SI) collected by the military becomes the center of political debate, there are concerns about indiscriminate disclosure. The military argues that if the intelligence acquisition routes are exposed, an 'information blackout' will inevitably occur for some time.

Ruling and opposition members of the National Defense Committee continue to clash over witness requests. The Democratic Party is firmly opposing agreeing to any witnesses requested by the opposition, labeling the witness requests concerning Minister Choo as excessive political maneuvers and providing strong protection. Due to the unusual delay in witness approval, the National Defense Committee is currently the only standing committee that has not adopted an audit implementation plan. The Democratic Party has stated that if the People Power Party insists on their witness requests, they are prepared to accept even a disruption of the audit, while the People Power Party is sharpening their inquiries and demanding a normal audit process.

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