Rival parties clash over top court justice's attendance as parliamentary audit begins
National Assembly staffers prepare for an audit session at the chamber of the Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee in Seoul, Oct. 12. Yonhap
The National Assembly launched its first audit of President Lee Jae Myung's government Monday, as rival parties clashed over the attendance of the Supreme Court's chief justice at a parliamentary inspection and tariff negotiations with the United States.
A total of 17 parliamentary standing committees will conduct the 25-day audit of 834 government organizations until Nov. 6.
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has vowed to target the previous Yoon Suk Yeol administration during this year's audit, the first since the former president's Dec. 3 martial law bid, calling the audit an opportunity to bring what it calls a "complete end to insurrection."
On the other hand, the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) plans to accuse the DP of being preoccupied with fabricating an insurrection narrative while neglecting people's livelihoods and to highlight Lee's policy failures.
Monday's audit sessions opened amid heated clashes in key committees, including the Legislation and Judiciary Committee.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae appeared before the committee's audit session but refused to undergo questioning.
"Trials conducted in accordance with the Constitution and conscience would be undermined if judges have to take the stand because of a trial," he said in his opening remarks.
Cho expressed concern over the DPK's request to testify about an ongoing trial, saying it could violate the constitutional principle of judicial independence and the National Assembly Act, which stipulates that parliamentary audits must not interfere in ongoing trials.
The DPK, which has been pushing for a series of legislative reforms, had called on Cho to testify over his alleged election interference in Lee's election law violation case.
Cho is accused of election interference after the Supreme Court, under his leadership, overturned a not guilty verdict in Lee's election law violation case and sent it back to a lower court for retrial just ahead of the June 3 presidential election.
Although chief justices have traditionally been allowed to leave after delivering the opening remarks, the DPK had vowed to question Cho directly at the audit.
Fierce clashes are also expected at the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee's audit.
The PPP is set to denounce the detention of Korean nationals in the U.S. state of Georgia and delays in the Seoul-Washington tariff negotiations as a "diplomatic disaster," while the DP is likely to dismiss such criticism.
During the sessions, opposition parties are also likely to criticize the Lee administration's distribution of nationwide cash handouts as populist policies.
The government has conducted two rounds of handouts in the form of "consumption coupons" since July as part of efforts to stimulate private consumption.