[2022 National Audit] Foreign Affairs Committee Resumes After 30-Minute Recess... Opposition Demands Park Jin's Exit, Withdraws

Lee Jae-jung "Proceeding with the National Audit with Responsibility to Investigate the Cause and Accountability of the Diplomatic Disaster"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] After a tussle over the issue of Foreign Minister Park Jin's exit, the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee's audit finally began on the afternoon of the 4th. The Democratic Party, which had insisted that it could not hold an audit with a minister against whom a dismissal recommendation had been passed, reportedly reached a consensus through internal meetings to use the audit to point out the problems with President Yoon Seok-yeol's overseas trips.

On the 4th, the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee resumed the audit in the afternoon, targeting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Korea International Cooperation Agency, the Korea Foundation, the Overseas Koreans Foundation, and the Korea-Africa Foundation.

Earlier, the committee had recessed for 30 minutes after a confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties over Minister Park's attendance at the audit following the passage of the dismissal recommendation in the plenary session.

Lee Jae-jung, the opposition party secretary of the committee, said, "The Democratic Party accepted the will of the people and passed the dismissal recommendation for Minister Park in the National Assembly," adding, "In respect of the authority of the National Assembly, parliamentary principles, and the spirit of the Constitution, we demand Minister Park to leave the meeting room." Kim Seok-ki, the ruling party secretary of the committee, countered, "Minister Park, as our top diplomat, must be given the opportunity to explain the foreign policy and the recent diplomatic trips to the public."

Lee explained the reason for resuming the audit, saying, "Considering the circumstances that we cannot delay any longer in investigating the cause and responsibility of the diplomatic fiasco and clarifying it before the people, we decided to proceed with the audit with a heavy sense of responsibility."

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