野 "In Worst Case, Boycott National Audit" 'Minister Chu's Son Has Zero Witnesses'

Failure to Adopt Ruling and Opposition Witnesses for National Defense Audit... Signs of Disruption from the Start
Appearance of North Korea Shooting Victim's Older Brother Also Canceled
Opposition's Han Ki-ho "Resigns as National Defense Committee Secretary"
Ruling Party "Do Not Politicize the National Audit"

Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae is entering the Government Complex Seoul on the morning of the 6th to attend the Cabinet meeting. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] The first state audit of the 21st National Assembly begins today (7th). On the first day, 14 standing committees including the Judiciary Committee, National Defense Committee, Political Affairs Committee, and Planning and Finance Committee are scheduled to conduct audits of their respective agencies.

In particular, the National Defense Committee is expected to witness intense clashes between the ruling and opposition parties over the killing of a public official in the West Sea and allegations of military favoritism involving Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae's son.

The People Power Party mentioned the possibility of boycotting the audit after the Democratic Party of Korea rejected all 10 witnesses they requested regarding the 'military leave favoritism allegations' involving Minister Choo's son, Mr. Seo.

Han Ki-ho, the opposition party's National Defense Committee secretary from the People Power Party, resigned from his secretary position in protest of the Democratic Party's refusal to accept witnesses.

Han Ki-ho, the spokesperson for the National Defense Committee of the People Power Party, is holding a press conference condemning the "Democratic Party's shielded audit for Chu Mi-ae's son" at the National Assembly Communication Office in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 5th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 5th, Han held a press conference at the National Assembly and stated, "Among the standing committees, only the National Defense Committee has not confirmed the final schedule for the state audit," adding, "Regarding the allegations involving Minister Choo Mi-ae's son, Mr. Seo, the Democratic Party of Korea did not accept a single witness or reference." He explained this as the reason for the breakdown in negotiations.

He continued, "I will take responsibility for the failure to finalize the audit schedule and resign from my position as the National Defense Committee secretary."

After the press conference, when asked by reporters about the possibility of boycotting the audit, he said, "In the worst case, yes," implying that the opposition might boycott the audit if the witness adoption is ultimately rejected.

Hwang Hee, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, is questioning at the confirmation hearing for Seo Wook, the nominee for Minister of National Defense, held at the National Assembly on the 16th of last month. [Image source=Yonhap News]

In response to the opposition's suggestion of boycotting the audit, Hwang Hee, the ruling party's National Defense Committee secretary, strongly opposed it at a press conference, saying, "Do not politicize the state audit."

Hwang criticized, "The witnesses the People Power Party is demanding for the state audit have either been cleared of charges after intense investigations or are related to ongoing investigations (the public official's shooting), making it impossible to adopt them as witnesses. The People Power Party was the one who filed the complaint about this case, so they should reflect and apologize."

He added, "Most standing committees are trying to omit witness adoption or minimize audit schedules due to COVID-19, so insisting on meaningless witness adoption is an attempt to politicize the state audit. They are trying to turn the audit into a battleground during a nationally difficult time." However, he also stated, "The door for negotiation with the opposition is always open, and we will continue to persuade them."

Earlier, the People Power Party requested 10 witnesses, including Minister Choo, her then aide, her son Mr. Seo, party duty soldier Mr. Hyun, and retired Colonel Lee Cheol-won, to clarify whether Minister Choo improperly intervened in extending her son Seo's military leave.

However, the Democratic Party of Korea rejected these witness requests from the People Power Party, calling them politically motivated. The Democratic Party also refused to accept the witness request for Mr. Lee Rae-jin, the brother of the public official killed by North Korean soldiers.

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