野 "Board of Audit and Inspection Conducted Sudden Audit on West Sea Incident, but Audit on Presidential Office Relocation Suspended"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] On the 28th, Democratic Party lawmakers Kwon Chil-seung and Park Joo-min urged the Board of Audit and Inspection to immediately commence an audit regarding the relocation of the Presidential Office to Yongsan.

On the same day, through a press conference at the National Assembly, Lawmakers Kwon and Park, along with People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, stated, "It should be clearly understood that the way for the Board of Audit and Inspection to overcome controversies over its political neutrality and restore its fallen honor is to thoroughly audit the illegal allegations surrounding the Presidential Office relocation." They added, "We strongly urge the Board of Audit and Inspection to stop wasting time with unreasonable excuses and to conduct the audit immediately."

They mentioned issues related to the Presidential Office relocation, such as the misuse of the Ministry of National Defense and Ministry of the Interior and Safety budgets, and suspicions of private contracting by companies involved in the official residence interior work. They noted, "To clarify these suspicions, the National Assembly has repeatedly requested the Board of Audit and Inspection to conduct an audit." In response to these demands, the head of the Board of Audit and Inspection has replied that they will "monitor and decide whether to conduct the audit" and "intend to conduct the audit at an appropriate time."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy has filed a public audit request with the Board of Audit and Inspection regarding the Presidential Office relocation. In response to the audit request, the Board of Audit and Inspection has been delaying the decision to commence the audit by requesting additional materials on "which matters violated laws and regulations" or citing "time required for requesting and receiving responses from related agencies to verify facts," according to the group.

At the press conference, they said, "More than four months have passed since illegal allegations regarding the Presidential Office relocation were raised," and criticized, "Where has the Board of Audit and Inspection’s promptness gone, which ‘immediately ordered’ an audit into the West Sea incident late at night while watching TV?"

They continued, "The head of the Board of Audit and Inspection admitted that the Board supports the President’s governance, and the Secretary-General’s real-time text communication with the head of the Board and the Presidential Office chiefs clearly revealed the collusion between the Board and the Presidential Office," adding, "We strongly suspect that the Board of Audit and Inspection is also watching the Presidential Office’s mood regarding the audit into the illegal allegations of the relocation."

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