National Defense Committee, Witness Agreement 'Fails Again'... Signs of Audit Disruption

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] The National Assembly's National Defense Committee's audit is showing signs of disruption even before it begins. On the 5th, the ruling and opposition party secretaries of the Defense Committee attempted to select witnesses for the audit but only confirmed disagreements once again.

The People Power Party requested about 10 witnesses related to allegations of military favoritism involving Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae's son and the killing of a missing government official in the West Sea, while the Democratic Party drew a line, stating they could not agree to even a single witness. Immediately after the failure to reach an agreement, the Democratic Party announced it would hold a full Defense Committee meeting on the 6th to unilaterally approve an audit plan excluding witnesses.

Hwang Hee, the Democratic Party secretary of the Defense Committee, held a press conference at the National Assembly, saying, "There are urgent defense issues that need to be resolved," and criticized, "The People Power Party's witness requests are intended to politicize the audit." In response, Han Ki-ho, the People Power Party secretary of the Defense Committee, countered, "I am angry at the Democratic Party's shielded National Assembly for Minister Choo's son," and declared his intention to resign from his secretary position.

If the Democratic Party pushes ahead with the audit without witnesses as planned, the conflict between the ruling and opposition parties is expected to reach its peak. However, it seems unlikely that the People Power Party will fully boycott the audit. Hwang told reporters, "We will do our best to ensure the audit includes opposition participation," and Han also said, "The public wants the audit."

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