Rival parties to spar over Lee's personal secretary during parliamentary audit

Kim Hyun-ji, President Lee Jae Myung's personal secretary and his longtime aide, attends a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Seoul, in this file photo taken Oct. 21. Yonhap

Rival parties are expected to clash over a close aide and personal secretary of President Lee Jae Myung at a parliamentary audit Thursday, although the secretary is likely to be absent from the session.

Kim Hyun-ji, the longtime aide of the president who was appointed as Lee's personal secretary in September, has been at the center of political strife in recent weeks, with the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) accusing Kim of overstepping her authority and being involved in personnel appointments as a "shadowy" confidant.

The PPP has repeatedly demanded her attendance at the ongoing parliamentary audit, which began Oct. 13, but the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has blocked the PPP's move to bring her in as a witness.

The two parties are expected to wrangle over the issue later in the day as the National Assembly's Steering Committee is set to hold the audit of the presidential secretariat, the presidential Office of National Security and the Presidential Security Service. This will mark the first audit of the presidential office under the Lee administration.

Kim's appointment sparked speculation that the reassignment could shield her from being summoned to the parliamentary audit as personal secretaries are typically exempt from such sessions. The presidential office has denied such claims, saying the reshuffle was unrelated to the audit.