Parliamentary audit kicks off amid ruling party's boycott

South Korea's National Assembly started its regular audit on Monday, with the schedule set to face bumpy roads ahead as the ruling party vowed to stage a boycott questioning the political neutrality of the parliamentary speaker.

During the 20-day audit, lawmakers are set to pose various questions to the government, including about the safety of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery as well as countermeasures against natural disasters like earthquakes.

Political pundits, however, said the audits are unlikely to be carried out on schedule due to the absence of the ruling party.

Last week, South Korea's opposition parties passed a motion to dismiss the country's farm minister over alleged ethical lapses, despite the ruling Saenuri Party boycotting the vote. Saenuri argued the dismissal vote was politically motivated and vowed not to participate in further parliamentary proceedings.

The Saenuri, in addition, claimed the vote itself did not follow parliamentary rules, although National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun argued all due procedures were respected. (Yonhap)