Seoul: The National Assembly initiated its first audit of President Lee Jae Myung's government on Monday, sparking a heated clash between rival parties over the attendance of the Supreme Court's chief justice at the parliamentary inspection, as well as ongoing tariff negotiations with the United States. The 25-day audit, conducted by 17 parliamentary standing committees, will scrutinize 834 government organizations until November 6.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the ruling Democratic Party (DP) aims to target the previous Yoon Suk Yeol administration during this audit, marking the first since the former president's martial law attempt on December 3. The DP views the audit as a chance to put an "end to insurrection." Conversely, the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) intends to accuse the DP of focusing on fabricating an insurrection narrative while ignoring issues affecting citizens' livelihoods and to underscore perceived policy failures by President Lee.
The audit sessions commenced with intense confrontations in key committees, particularly the Legislation and Judiciary Committee. Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae attended the committee's audit session but declined to undergo questioning. In his opening remarks, Cho stated, "Trials conducted in accordance with the Constitution and conscience would be undermined if judges have to take the stand because of a trial." He expressed concern that the DP's request for him to testify about an ongoing trial could infringe upon the constitutional principle of judicial independence and the National Assembly Act, which prohibits parliamentary audits from interfering in ongoing trials.
The DP had called on Cho to testify regarding alleged election interference in Lee's election law violation case, accusing him of overturning a not guilty verdict under his leadership and sending it back to a lower court for retrial just before the June 3 presidential election. Traditionally, chief justices have been allowed to leave after delivering opening remarks, but the DP pledged to question Cho directly during the audit.
Further clashes are anticipated at the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee's audit. The PPP plans to condemn the detention of South Korean nationals in Georgia and the delays in Seoul-Washington tariff negotiations, labeling them as a "diplomatic disaster," while the DP is expected to refute such criticism. During the sessions, opposition parties are also likely to challenge the Lee administration's distribution of nationwide cash handouts, criticizing them as populist measures. The government has issued two rounds of handouts in the form of "consumption coupons" since July to boost private consumption.