'Adoption of Kim Beom-su as Witness' Sparks Ruling and Opposition Party Clash... Ruling Party Says "Let's Also Call Lee Hae-jin"'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Regarding the Kakao incident, the ruling and opposition parties expressed differing opinions on the adoption of Chairman Kim Beom-su of Kakao as a witness during the Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee (SIBCC) audit on the 17th.

Cho Seung-rae, the opposition party's secretary of the SIBCC and a member of the Democratic Party, said, "Kakao experienced failures not in just one or two services but in almost all services. It is difficult to diagnose all these service issues by calling only the operational staff, so the top executive, the owner, must be summoned," urging cooperation from the ruling party.

Currently, the opposition insists on adopting Chairman Kim as a witness, while the ruling party advocates for summoning mainly operational personnel. Rep. Cho said, "President Yoon Seok-yeol said yesterday, 'The Kakao incident concerns the national backbone communication network and national security matters, so provide full support.' For full support, the owner must lead the effort," adding, "I hope President Yoon's government-level promise of full support is not perceived as a measure to protect Chairman Kim."

In response, Park Sung-joong, the ruling party's secretary, said, "Political remarks are inappropriate in the discussion forum," and added, "If Chairman Kim is called, we are okay with also calling Lee Hae-jin, Naver's Global Investment Officer, who experienced various functional failures."

He further stated, "We suggested calling Chairman Kim and this officer together, but the opposition is proposing even SK Chairman Chey Tae-won as a witness, so coordination is not possible."

In response, Jeong Cheong-rae, a Democratic Party member and chair of the SIBCC, urged the adoption of Chairman Kim as a witness, saying, "If the Kakao incident were a simple operational error or mistake, it would be appropriate to call the operational staff, but this incident is a total crisis, so it is natural to call the person who takes overall responsibility."

He added, "The two parties' secretaries will negotiate until this morning, and if no agreement is reached, the chairperson will exercise authority according to Article 52 of the National Assembly Act."

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