Yangpyeong Expressway Conflict Intensifies... Ruling Party Calls for "Moon Government National Audit" vs Opposition Launches Road Special Committee

Yoon Jae-ok, Ruling Party Floor Leader: "National Audit Is Not a Means to Solve Problems"
Opposition Submits Request for National Audit on Yangpyeong Expressway, Special Committee Also Launched

The ruling and opposition parties' disputes over the cancellation of the 'Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway' construction project, which has raised allegations of preferential treatment involving First Lady Kim Keon-hee's family, are intensifying. The Democratic Party has officially demanded a parliamentary state audit to investigate the allegations against Kim, while the People Power Party has clearly opposed the state audit, calling the opposition's offensive "fake news."

On the 13th, Yoon Jae-ok, floor leader of the People Power Party, met with reporters at the National Assembly and dismissed the Democratic Party's demand for a state audit regarding the Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway allegations, saying, "A state audit is not a means to solve the problem but is likely to make the situation more difficult to resolve."

Yoon Jae-ok, floor leader of the People Power Party, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 13th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Earlier that day, at the Supreme Council meeting, Floor Leader Yoon elaborated, "If a state audit is necessary, the subject should be the Moon Jae-in administration, not the Yoon Seok-yeol government," adding, "Both the decision on the feasibility study, including the review of the optimal alternative route, and the selection of the successful bidder occurred before the launch of the Presidential Transition Committee, during the Moon Jae-in administration." He criticized, "If the review of alternative routes was for preferential treatment, does that mean the Moon administration tried hard to curry favor with the president-elect's family? The Democratic Party's claims are inconsistent. It's baffling what exactly they want to investigate in the state audit." He further condemned, "Even in this grave situation where the entire nation is worried about heavy rains, North Korea is launching intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions is striking, are they just spreading fake news?"

The ruling party plans to hold a National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee meeting on the 17th of this month, where Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong will appear for a current affairs inquiry, aiming to uncover the truth.

In response, the Democratic Party will launch a special committee to investigate the controversy surrounding the cancellation of the 'Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway.' Following the establishment of the Countermeasure Committee Against the Ocean Dumping of Contaminated Water from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant in Japan, this new special committee marks a 'two-track' intensification of the Democratic Party's struggle against the ruling party. In particular, the Democratic Party views this allegation as a case of presidential family corruption and is framing it as a 'second state manipulation,' suggesting that future offensives will become even more aggressive.

Park Kwang-on, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the launching ceremony and the first meeting of the Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway Original Plan and New Yangpyeong IC Installation Promotion Committee held at the National Assembly on the 11th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

On the same day, the Democratic Party is expected to hold the inauguration ceremony of the 'Special Committee for the Truth Investigation of the President's Family Expressway Gate' at the National Assembly, stepping up pressure on the government and ruling party. Following the launch of the 'Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway Original Plan and New Yangpyeong IC Installation Promotion Committee' on the 11th, the party is intensifying its focus with demands for a state audit and the establishment of the special committee.

Lee So-young, the Democratic Party's floor spokesperson, told reporters at the National Assembly, "We plan to submit a request for a state audit regarding the preferential treatment allegations involving the president's family and the Yangpyeong Expressway," adding, "We are discussing submitting the state audit request as soon as possible."

Previously, the Democratic Party officially requested a state audit from the government and ruling party concerning the Yangpyeong Expressway preferential treatment. At the Supreme Council meeting the day before, party leader Lee Jae-myung said, "We need to investigate the specific and detailed process and facts about why the expressway terminus was changed," and told reporters, "Refusing the state audit is tantamount to admitting that moving the expressway terminus is an unfair and illegal act." Lee has been directly targeting the president in this controversy, calling it a "typical case of power-related corruption involving the president's relatives" and "state manipulation," without holding back.

Adding fuel to the controversy, Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon has also joined in, further escalating the Yangpyeong Expressway issue. On the 12th, Governor Kim strongly criticized Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong's sudden announcement of project cancellation, saying, "Using allegations as a pretext to talk about cancellation is a behavior of holding the project hostage to intimidate the public and is a clear abuse of authority." He added, "The Yangpyeong Expressway was first proposed in 2008, 15 years ago. For a project that has been proceeding through legal procedures for a long time, for one minister to flip it over like turning a hand is beyond ignoring the people's wishes; it is a serious crisis in the national decision-making system."

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