National Assembly Operations Committee Audit... Ruling and Opposition Parties Clash over Attendance of Ahn Changho and Kim Hyunji of Human Rights Commission

From the Outset: "I Will Take the Oath Separately"
Kim Yongwon, Human Rights Commissioner, Ordered to Leave

On November 5, the National Assembly's Operations Committee conducted a parliamentary audit of the National Human Rights Commission, the National Assembly Secretariat, the National Assembly Library, the National Assembly Budget Office, the National Assembly Research Service, and the National Assembly Futures Institute.

Ahn Changho, Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission, is submitting a witness oath statement to Commissioner Kim Byunggi during the National Assembly's Steering Committee's audit of the National Human Rights Commission held on the 5th in Yeouido, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

During the audit of the National Human Rights Commission, the issue of political neutrality emerged as a major point of contention.

As soon as the Operations Committee began the audit, Kim Yongwon, a standing commissioner of the National Human Rights Commission, effectively refused to take the witness oath and was ordered to leave by Committee Chair Kim Byunggi.

During the process of administering the witness oath before the start of the audit, Commissioner Kim asserted, "I will take the witness oath separately," and added, "I will take the oath in accordance with the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Act."

In response, Chair Kim said, "Do not insult the National Assembly during this audit as well," and repeatedly asked, "Will you take the witness oath together with the other witnesses?"

Commissioner Kim again insisted on taking the oath separately, stating, "I am more than willing to testify." Some lawmakers objected, saying this was an insult to the National Assembly and an obstruction of the proceedings, and Chair Kim ordered Commissioner Kim to leave the session.

Subsequently, lawmakers from the Democratic Party of Korea and the Rebuilding Korea Party focused their questioning on allegations of sexist and anti-LGBTQ remarks made by Ahn Changho, the Human Rights Commission chairperson appointed during the Yoon Suk Yeol administration. Of particular interest was the fact that in February, the Commission swiftly passed a recommendation to guarantee the right of defense for former President Yoon Suk Yeol.

In contrast, the People Power Party countered by raising the issue of a Yangpyeong County official who died while under investigation by the Kim Keonhee special prosecutor. During the audit of the National Assembly Secretariat and related institutions, questions continued regarding the state of emergency declared on December 3 of last year.

Meanwhile, the rival parties are set to clash again on November 6 during the parliamentary audit of the Presidential Secretariat, the National Security Office, and the Presidential Security Service. Tensions are expected to peak over the attendance of Kim Hyunji, the First Secretary to the President. The Democratic Party proposed that Kim attend as a general witness in the morning of November 6, but the People Power Party demanded her attendance for the entire day, resulting in a breakdown of the agreement.

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