Reporter's Notebook Assembly audit should not be exploited to humiliate business leaders
A parliamentary audit on the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy is held by the National Assembly's Industry, Energy, SMEs and Startups Committee, Tuesday. The audit initially planned to summon multiple conglomerate leaders for questioning on controversial business issues before their aides scrambled to move them off the list. Yonhap
By Yi Whan-woo
The National Assembly's audit this year will be marked by the notable absence of the leaders of Korea's top 10 business conglomerates, in contrast to the past when they were routinely summoned to face tough questions from lawmakers over a wide range of controversial issues, which some politicians have criticized saying that the audits become a stage on which to humiliate the leaders.
Nevertheless, lawmakers still have a lot to improve in their process of screening business tycoons to be grilled, often on live broadcasts to drum up anti-chaebol sentiment.
The heads of at least six out of 10 major business conglomerates had initially been scheduled to be summoned, but were removed from the list at the last minute.
“The lawmakers were believed to be planning to 'exploit' chaebol chiefs as they did in the past,” a source said, pointing out that the tycoons were to be questioned over issues that lower-ranking staffers are better suited to answer.
The source said the big business leaders were “spared” after the leaders of emerging tech firms became the center of focus for their aggressive expansion swallowing up mom-and-pop operations.
One lawmaker initially sought to bring three chairmen ― Chey Tae-won of SK, Shin Dong-bin of Lotte and Kim Seung-youn of Hanwha ― and have them explain their detailed action plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
POSCO Chairman Choi Jeong-woo was also believed to be slated for questioning over his carbon-neutrality plan in the steel industry, while Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun was set to be face questions over industrial accidents involving affiliates such as Hyundai E&C and Hyundai Steel.
“The chairmen are not always able to answer questions on these issues,” Shin Yul, a political science professor at Myongji University said. “It is far from efficient considering the chairmen will have to stay a whole day before lawmakers and wait for their turn to be questioned about the issues that can simply be answered by their staffers.”
Of the six, the POSCO chairman made it off the witness list at the last minute before the beginning of the audit, Oct. 1.
He otherwise was to appear on Oct. 5 during the audit by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and on Oct. 7 during the audit by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.
He is scheduled to attend a wrap-up audit by the trade ministry, Oct. 20. This should not be problematic for Choi as the meeting is to go over what was discussed concerning the ministry and related business.
“The cost of conglomerate leaders attending the audit will be considerable,” another source said.
The source explained that POSCO hired former executive assistants of lawmakers, one from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and another from the main opposition People Power Party (PPP). The move was seen as bid to woo the National Assembly after Choi was scrutinized at a parliamentary hearing in February over a fatal accident at a POSCO plant in Pohang.