[2020 National Audit] Minister Seo's Harsh Debut in the Audit Battle

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Defense Minister Seo Wook endured a harsh 'National Assembly audit debut' on the 7th. During the National Assembly audit held at the Ministry of National Defense, Minister Seo sparked controversy by stating that he "received a report on the day of disappearance that there was 'no possibility of defecting to the North'" regarding the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official who was shot by North Korean forces. Additionally, there was an incident where he announced that North Korea is building a 4,000?5,000-ton submarine capable of carrying up to six submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), then requested a correction of his statement.

Minister Seo faced the public official shooting incident immediately after his inauguration on the 18th of last month, and on this day, he repeatedly broke into a sweat under the barrage of related questions at the audit. Ha Tae-kyung, a member of the People Power Party, asked Minister Seo, "Since it is a sea close to North Korea, did you judge that there was absolutely no possibility of drifting northward?" Minister Seo replied, "On Monday, when I first received the report, I asked the staff whether there was a possibility of going north, and I was told that the possibility of defecting to the North was low or none, and at that time, communications were not confirmed." When Ha asked again, "Then did you think from the beginning that the person was not defecting to the North?" Minister Seo answered, "On the first day, I thought not," which further fueled confusion.

As the controversy grew, the Ministry of National Defense issued a direct clarification. Through a text message sent to reporters, the Ministry stated, "The meaning of 'defecting to the North' in Minister Seo's remarks does not mean voluntarily crossing north of the Northern Limit Line (NLL), but rather the possibility of drifting into the North considering the current flow at that time." However, despite the Ministry's explanation, debates are expected to continue over whether the military's initial judgment of 'simple disappearance' was appropriate.

In the afternoon questioning, Kang Dae-sik, a member of the People Power Party, inquired about the construction status of North Korea's SLBM-equipped submarines. Minister Seo responded, "North Korea is building a 4,000?5,000-ton submarine capable of carrying up to six SLBMs." When Kang asked, "On August 25, former Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo mentioned that North Korea is working on building a new submarine; can we assume the new submarine is 4,000?5,000 tons?" Minister Seo replied, "That's correct."

However, Minister Seo later said, "I will correct my statement," adding, "It is inaccurate and should not have been announced deliberately. Please revise it." This was a point that could be misunderstood as an attempt to retract the premature disclosure of information rather than simply correcting a mistake. Politicians criticized this, saying, "Although it has not been long since his inauguration and he may not have fully grasped the work, as a minister, he should have spoken more cautiously."

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