Nat'l Assembly kicks off annual audit of gov't agencies
Summary
The National Assembly launched its annual audit of government agencies in Seoul on Tuesday. The audit runs through Oct. 27, with eight of 17 standing committees opening sessions on the first day. Rival parties clashed over Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae’s refusal to recommend a new justice nominee and Ukraine’s disclosure of the transfer of two North Korean POWs to South Korea. North Korea-planted land mines in the DMZ that injured three South Korean soldiers also came under scrutiny.
Key Facts
- The presidential office asked Cho Hee-dae in August to recommend a new Supreme Court justice candidate after objecting to his written recommendation of two nominees to President Lee Jae Myung.
- Cho Hee-dae refused the request, citing a lack of constitutional grounds, and declined to take an oath as a witness during the audit because of the separation of powers.
- Under the Constitution, Supreme Court justices are appointed by the president on the chief justice’s recommendation and with the National Assembly’s consent.
- Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Ukraine had sent South Korea a message containing an apology over disclosing the POW transfer, but said it fell somewhat short of expectations.
- South Korea accused Ukraine of breaching an agreement to keep the transfer of the two North Korean POWs secret, while Ukraine denied that such an agreement existed.
The meeting room of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee in Seoul / Joint Press Corps
The National Assembly launched its annual audit of government agencies Tuesday, with rival parties clashing over the Supreme Court chief's refusal to recommend a new justice nominee to the president and the recently publicized transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) from Ukraine.
Eight of the Assembly's 17 standing committees opened their sessions starting at 10 a.m. on the first day of the audit, scheduled to run through Oct. 27.
During the audit of the legislation and judiciary committee, lawmakers mainly wrangled over Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae's refusal to recommend a new candidate for court justice as requested by the presidential office.
Earlier in August, the presidential office asked Cho to recommend a new candidate after taking issue with his written recommendation of two Supreme Court justice nominees to President Lee Jae Myung. Cho rejected the request, citing a lack of constitutional grounds to do so.
Under the Constitution, Supreme Court justices are appointed by the president on the recommendation of the chief justice and with the consent of the National Assembly.
During the audit, Cho declined to take an oath as a witness, citing the principle of separation of powers among the legislative, executive and judicial branches.
The rival parties clashed from the beginning of the session over whether Cho should be allowed to leave after delivering his opening remarks.
The ruling Democratic Party demanded that he remain and answer lawmakers' questions, while the main opposition People Power Party argued that Cho should be allowed to leave, as chief justices have customarily done after the opening remarks with the approval of the head of the parliamentary judiciary committee.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae, center, is surrounded by cameras as he speaks during a parliamentary audit of the top court at the National Assembly in western Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap
During the audit of the foreign affairs and unification committee, recent diplomatic tensions with Ukraine over the transfer of two North Korean POWs to Seoul were a key point of contention.
Last month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly disclosed the transfer, a move South Korea has said was not agreed upon between the two sides.
Seoul has since accused Ukraine of breaching a bilateral agreement to keep the transfer secret, while Ukraine has denied the existence of such an agreement.
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said South Korea had received a message from Ukraine that included an apology over its disclosure, but that it "fell somewhat short of what we had expected."
The recent explosions of North Korea-planted land mines inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which injured three South Korean soldiers, also came under scrutiny during the audit sessions.
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