[2023 National Audit] Audit Board's National Inspection Disrupted... Dispute Over 'Attendance' Before It Even Began

Democratic Party Requests Audit Committee Members' On-Site Attendance... People Power Party "No Bipartisan Agreement"
Director Choi Jae-hae Admits "Failure to Adhere to Law and Principles" Regarding Auditor Jeon Hyun-hee Controversy

The National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee's audit of the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) ended in disruption just 20 minutes after it began due to the issue of audit commissioners' attendance.

On the morning of the 13th, the ruling and opposition parties conducted a national audit of the BAI. The main issues anticipated were the audit results on statistical manipulation during the Moon Jae-in administration and the audit of former Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission Chairperson Jeon Hyun-hee.

However, the national audit could not properly commence. On that day, the Democratic Party insisted that audit commissioners should be present on site, while the People Power Party opposed this citing precedent and consultation processes as reasons.

Choi Jae-hae, Chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection, is reporting on duties at the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee's audit of the Board of Audit and Inspection held on the 13th.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Democratic Party whip So Byeong-cheol stated, "Looking at past Legislation and Judiciary Committee meetings, there have been precedents where audit commissioners were seated and attended to respond," requesting the attendance of audit commissioners including Cho Eun-seok, who is involved in the controversy over the Anti-Corruption Commission audit. People Power Party whip Jeong Jeom-sik countered, "Until now, it has been customary for audit commissioners to leave once the briefing is over," and pointed out that there should have been bipartisan agreement on the attendance of audit commissioners, which was absent this time.

In response, Kim Do-eup, chair of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, said regarding the issue of audit commissioners' attendance, "This was a foreseeable problem, and I do not know whether there was prior consultation between the whips, but it is regrettable to discuss this issue immediately as the meeting starts," and declared the suspension of the national audit for further consultation.

Meanwhile, on the same day, BAI Chairman Choi Jae-ha expressed regret in his opening remarks at the national audit regarding the series of controversies including the disclosure process of the audit report on former Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission Chairperson Jeon Hyun-hee, stating, "There were some mistakes in not adhering faithfully to laws and principles during internal processes." He added, "As a result, numerous unfounded speculations and one-sided claims contrary to facts have been raised internally and externally, causing many citizens to worry, for which I apologize as the Chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection."

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