Impeachment Trial of Board of Audit and Inspection Chief Ends in 3 Hours After 69 Days

Constitutional Court Dismisses National Assembly's Witness Requests
"Verdict Date to Be Determined Later"
Eighth Hearing Begins on the 13th... Attention on Possible Additional Dates

The 8th hearing of the impeachment trial of President Yoon Seok-yeol was held on the 13th, during which witness examinations of Cho Tae-yong, Director of the National Intelligence Service, and Kim Bong-sik, former Chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, took place. This was the final scheduled day for witness examinations and arguments originally planned by the Constitutional Court. As of the morning of that day, the Court had not scheduled any additional hearing dates. There may be remarks regarding future schedules as early as the afternoon. If the Court concludes the witness examinations on this day, statements of opinion (final arguments) from both the National Assembly side and President Yoon’s side are expected to take place around next week, followed by deliberations by the justices, and a verdict is likely to be delivered around early March. There is also interest in whether the Constitutional Court justices will proceed with a direct questioning procedure of President Yoon.

Meanwhile, on the 12th, the Constitutional Court announced that it would conclude the impeachment trial arguments for Choi Jae-hae, Chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection, and proceed to a verdict. Although the formal arguments were held 69 days after the impeachment motion passed the National Assembly plenary session on December 5 last year, the arguments concluded in just over three hours. Acting Chief Justice Moon Hyung-bae stated, "Considering the records, except for the two individuals examined today, the other witnesses are not deemed essential and thus will not be accepted," dismissing the National Assembly’s witness requests and concluding the arguments. The National Assembly’s grounds for impeachment include four points: denial of the independent status of the Board of Audit and Inspection, targeted audits by the Chairperson of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, violation of duties by the Chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection, and refusal to submit materials to the National Assembly.

The Constitutional Court summoned Kim Tae-woo, Director of the Industrial Finance Audit Bureau of the Board of Audit and Inspection (former Planning Officer of the Planning and Coordination Office), and Kim Sook-dong, Director of the Special Investigation Bureau (former Chief of the 1st Division of the Special Investigation Bureau), as witnesses and examined them for three hours. In response to the National Assembly’s question, "Was granting the Prime Minister the right to request audits part of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration’s national agenda?" Kim Tae-woo replied, "Although it was included in the Yoon Seok-yeol government’s national agenda, it had been under consideration for a long time prior to that." Regarding the 'West Sea civil servant shooting incident,' Kim Sook-dong answered the National Assembly’s question implying, "Did the Board of Audit and Inspection spread unverified facts and demand an investigation?" by stating, "The Board comprehensively judged the seriousness of the incident and the public interest purpose."

On the other hand, Jeong Cheong-rae, Chairman of the National Assembly’s Judiciary Committee, said, "(Chairman Choi) has many suspicions of exercising authority with improper political motives or intentions by conducting humiliating targeted audits," and added, "There is an urgent need to restore the Board of Audit and Inspection’s independence in its duties and political neutrality."

In his final statement, Chairman Choi said, "The grounds for impeachment by the National Assembly contain facts that are either untrue or one-sided and distorted claims, making them difficult to accept," and earnestly requested, "I sincerely ask for a swift dismissal of the impeachment trial petition."

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