Parliamentary audits already limping

By Kang Seung-woo

It’s just two days into this year’s parliamentary audit of state agencies and already it looks like the chances of any significant progress being made are very slim. This comes after a slew of previously seen malpractices resurfaced again earlier this year.

Amid growing public concerns that the audits are likely to be superficial due to a lack of preparation and being hindered by months of political deadlock, the National Assembly embarked on a 20-day schedule to conduct the financial review. So far, the process has followed the pattern of previous sessions, filled with political clashes, tough words and frequent postponements.

Initially, the annual parliamentary audit was supposed to be separated into two sessions, with the first scheduled for August, but a political impasse over the “Sewol“ bill brought the National Assembly to a standstill. The contents of this bill proposed setting up an investigative committee to establish the direct and associated causes that led to the sinking of the Sewol ferry in April that resulted in the deaths of more than 300 people. The rival parties finally agreed to pass the bill at the end of last month.

In addition, the tight schedule, combined with a record-high number of agencies (672) that the National Assembly must audit, has generated skepticism about the effectiveness of the process, which is one of its key functions.

From the very first day, the procedures were found to be wanting.

An audit of the Ministry of Environment was suspended after lawmakers from the Environment and Labor Committee debated whether or not to call on business leaders.

During an audit of the Defense Ministry, representatives from the ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) also exchanged words over which witnesses to select for questioning. This was in regard to physical abuse of an Army private first class surnamed Yoon, who died as a result of injuries, as well as the Cyber Command’s involvement in the 2012 presidential election.

This wrangling continued into day two because the audit of the Labor Ministry witnessed another argument.

During this, NPAD lawmakers insisted that Hyundai Motor Group Chairman, Chung Mong-koo, Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman, Lee Jae-yong and other business leaders appeared for questioning; the Saenuri Party objected to this idea, saying that the National Assembly should not meddle in labor disputes.

Lawmakers from the National Defense Committee then bickered because some of the ruling party were caught criticizing their counterparts’ political orientation in a memo, which led to a 40-minute suspension.

The National Policy Committee also fell into deadlock over whether to summon former financial group heads, including Hana’s Kim Seung-yu and KB’s Lim Young-rok.

Eighteen parliamentary committees, consisting of between 16 and 31 members of parliament conduct the audits. Party chairmen nominate a list of potential members who are then selected by the Speaker of the National Assembly, who is required to withdraw membership of any party. The current Speaker, Chung Ui-hwa, was formerly a member of the ruling Saenuri Party and was elected to the post in May 2014.