Expanding LH State Audit, Opposition Unites and Ruling Party Deliberates... Will It Become Another 'Gongsu Pyo'?

Passport Issuance LH 'Major Adverse Factor' Unites Opposition
People Power Party Expresses Intent to Submit 'National Audit Request' with People's Party
However, Many Cases Are Merely 'Excuses' for Avoiding Responsibility
Ruling Party Says "Need to Review Effectiveness"

[Asia Economy Reporters Koo Chae-eun, Jeon Jin-young] The main opposition party, the People Power Party, plans to submit a request for a state audit today (17th) and is seeking to unite the factions within the party by sending the request to the People Party, using the LH-related adverse issue as an opportunity. The People Party is also reviewing the scope and purpose of the investigation and plans to decide whether to submit the request jointly, as they did in February with the 'North Korean Nuclear Power Plant Suspicion' state audit request.

On the 17th, Kim Seong-won, the senior deputy floor leader of the People Power Party, said in a phone interview with Asia Economy, "If the People Party has no objections, they expressed their intention to submit the state audit request together," adding, "The People Power Party will submit the request as scheduled within today."

The People Party has also begun deliberations. Kwon Eun-hee, the floor leader of the People Party, said in a phone interview with this paper, "It is important to set the direction on whether the state audit is about the LH speculation or about real estate speculation involving high-ranking officials including members of the National Assembly," and added, "If it is the latter, we will actively participate together." However, Kwon also stated, "If it is a state audit solely on LH, the investigation is sluggish, which could make responding more difficult, so we do not share the same perception as with the nuclear power plant state audit," and said, "We will look into what method and which targets to focus on."

Earlier in February, the People Power Party and the People Party jointly submitted a 'State Audit Request for Fact-Finding Regarding the Moon Jae-in Government's Suspected North Korean Nuclear Power Plant Construction Documents.' A total of 105 lawmakers from both parties signed the request.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

However, a state audit requires the support of at least one-quarter of the present members and bipartisan agreement, and the ruling party holds the key. Although the ruling party accepted the opposition's counterproposal for a state audit, their intentions are complex. There is a high possibility of confusion due to overlap with the LH investigation, comprehensive investigations, and special prosecutors, and it is difficult to reach an agreement on the formation of a special committee, the scope of the investigation, and the content of the investigation. Kim Tae-nyeon, acting leader of the Democratic Party, said at a press conference the day before, in response to the question, "Is a state audit possible before the April 7 by-elections?" that "To conduct a smooth state audit, personal information must be reviewed, and attendance at the National Assembly is required, but there may be restrictions on summoning investigation subjects," adding, "Considerable thought is needed to ensure effectiveness."

There are also criticisms that state audits are often mere political rhetoric and difficult to realize. During the 20th National Assembly, there were a total of 17 state audit requests, but only two were conducted over four years (humidifier fact-finding and state power abuse investigations). There have been many cases where a state audit request was loudly submitted but effectively became a 'face-saving empty promise.'

Non-negotiating groups that have advocated for a 'comprehensive investigation of lawmakers' are also taking a cautious stance. Kang Eun-mi, emergency committee member of the Justice Party, said in a phone interview, "All possibilities should be kept open, but the state audit should not be conducted in a way that obstructs the ongoing investigations by the special investigation headquarters," adding, "We need to review any proposals carefully to understand the intentions behind the state audit." Yong Hye-in, a lawmaker from the Basic Income Party, also said in a phone interview, "I do not agree with the claim that the state audit should be the top priority," and added, "Rather, special prosecutors or comprehensive investigations should be discussed quickly. At this stage, I have doubts about how effective the state audit will be, so I do not feel the need to actively pursue it."

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