Nat'l Assembly to kick off annual audit of gov't agencies
Summary
The National Assembly was set to launch its annual audit of government agencies Tuesday. The audit will run through Oct. 27, with eight of the Assembly’s 17 standing committees holding sessions on the first day. Rival parties are expected to clash over the Supreme Court chief’s refusal to recommend a new justice nominee, Ukraine’s transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to Seoul, and North Korean land mine explosions that injured three South Korean soldiers.
Key Facts
- The presidential office asked Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae in August to recommend a new candidate after objecting to his written recommendation of two nominees, but Cho rejected the request, citing a lack of constitutional grounds.
- Under the Constitution, Supreme Court justices are appointed by the president on the chief justice’s recommendation with the consent of the National Assembly.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to Seoul last month, while South Korea said the move violated an agreement to keep it secret and Ukraine denied that such an agreement existed.
- Cho Hee-dae submitted a written notice of non-attendance as a witness, despite previously saying he would clarify his position during the parliamentary audit.
- The National Assembly audit will also examine explosions from North Korean-planted land mines inside the Demilitarized Zone that injured three South Korean soldiers.
The meeting room of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee in Seoul / Joint Press Corps
The National Assembly was set to launch its annual audit of government agencies Tuesday, with rival parties expected to clash 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 will hold their sessions starting 10 a.m. on the first day of the audit, scheduled to run through Oct. 27.
Heated clashes are expected at the legislation and judiciary committee 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.
Cho earlier said he would clarify his stance during the parliamentary audit, though he has submitted a written notice for his non-attendance as a witness.
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 will be 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.
The recent explosions of North Korea-planted land mines inside the Demilitarized Zone, which injured three South Korean soldiers, are also expected to come under scrutiny during the audit sessions.
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