Assembly audit kicks off with bitter clashes

This year’s annual National Assembly audit kicked off Monday with the rival parties locking horns over a slew of legal issues surrounding Democratic Party of Korea Chair Rep. Lee Jae-myung and multiple allegations against first lady Kim Keon Hee.

Seventeen parliamentary standing committees will audit a total of 802 government institutions over 26 days. Ten of the 17 standing committees were scheduled to hold hearings Monday, including the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee and the Public Administration and Security Committee.

The Democratic Party vowed to get to the bottom of allegations against the first lady, including "meddling in state affairs."

The main opposition, which holds a clear majority in the 300-seat Assembly, recently pushed through a bill that mandates a special counsel investigation into the first lady and put it to a vote during a parliamentary plenary session for the second time.

The bill was scrapped on Friday after failing to get the two-thirds of Assembly votes required to override President Yoon Suk Yeol's veto.

It sought to look into several allegations against Kim including links to a stock manipulation scheme involving Deutsch Motors, a BMW car dealer in Korea, which dates back to 2009 and 2012. It would also probe claims she interfered in the April general election and her receipt of a luxury bag from a Korean American pastor in September 2022.

As the main opposition plans to reintroduce the special counsel investigation bill next month, Democratic Party Floor Leader Rep. Park Chan-dae vowed to "follow through" with getting to the bottom of the allegations "until the end" through the latest round of audits, in a morning party leadership meeting.

"All (Democratic Party) lawmakers who are part of all standing committees will follow through with the allegations against first lady Kim Keon Hee, including her meddling in state affairs, and pursue until the end to resolve suspicions that the people hold," Park said.

During Monday's audit by the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, ruling People Power Party Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok pointed out that the main opposition leader's election law violation court case has been dragging on, compared to other similar cases.

"The verdict for violation of the Election Law usually comes out within a year," Jang said, while pointing out it's been taking 26 months for the court to deliver its first verdict on Lee's election law violation case.

The court's verdict on Lee's election law violation charges is expected on Nov. 25.

Democratic Party Rep. Jeon Hyun-heui shot back at Jang, calling the prosecution's charges against Lee "unreasonable."

Including Election Law charges, Lee is embroiled in a total of four different court battles. Prosecutors earlier this year charged Lee with third-party bribery and violations of the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act and Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Act tied to his alleged involvement in unauthorized remittance to North Korea. Lee is also dealing with other ongoing court cases involving development project-related bribery and perjury.

In a separate Monday audit held by the opposition-controlled Public Administration and Security Committee, Democratic Party members subpoenaed witnesses over allegations the first lady hired acquaintances for construction work at the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Seoul. The witnesses are accused of carrying out renovations at the presidential residence without a proper license.

Lawmakers of the ruling party left the audit in protest of the main opposition lawmakers' decision.

"The government has carried out a renovation project of the presidential residency that requires taxpayers' money worth billions of won through a business that doesn't have a license, but has private ties with the wife of the president -- this is a case that we can possibly confirm President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon Hee's meddling in state affairs," Democratic Party Rep. Wi Seong-gon said at the public administration committee's audit.