Seoul: Lawmakers of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) pushed ahead with an on-site inspection of the Supreme Court on the third day of the ongoing parliamentary audit Wednesday, sparking fierce protest from the main opposition People Power Party (PPP).

According to Yonhap News Agency, during an audit session held at the Supreme Court, Choo Mi-ae, who heads the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, announced that the on-site audit will proceed as planned despite objection from PPP lawmakers. The DP-led resolution to conduct the inspection was passed last month.

Choo urged Chun Dae-yup, chief of the National Court Administration, an arm of the Supreme Court, and other relevant officials to "actively cooperate" with the inspection. The DP aims to investigate further into the top court's May ruling that ordered a retrial of President Lee Jae Myung, overturning a lower court's not-guilty verdict for Lee over alleged election law violations. The on-site inspection will focus on examining electronic log records and other data related to the case.

PPP lawmakers expressed their disapproval by refusing to join the on-site inspection. Notably, PPP Rep. Song Seok-jun attempted to block DP lawmakers from leaving the meeting and warned that they would boycott the afternoon session.

The on-site inspection follows a heated exchange between the rival parties on Monday over the attendance of Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae. Cho is accused of election interference in connection with the top court's retrial decision just ahead of the June 3 presidential election. Despite appearing before the committee on the Supreme Court, Cho declined to answer questions, citing concerns about undermining judicial independence and affecting ongoing trials.