The Democratic Party of Korea has decided to push for the impeachment of Choi Jae-hae, chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection. This is the first time since democratization in 1987 that the National Assembly has initiated impeachment proceedings against the Chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection. At the plenary session next month, the Democratic Party plans to take full aim at the Yoon Seok-yeol administration’s assessment agency by also handling the impeachment bill against Director Choi, as well as three prosecutors, including Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office Director Lee Chang-soo, who decided not to indict First Lady Kim Kun-hee on suspicion of stock price manipulation of Deutsche Motors. The People Power Party protested, calling it “an action that destroys constitutional order and undermines the rule of law.” The Board of Audit and Inspection also said, “This attempt to undermine the independence and neutrality of the Board of Audit and Inspection is an unfair pressure that violates the spirit of the Constitution.”
Democratic Party floor spokesperson Noh Jong-myeon met with reporters after the general meeting of lawmakers on the 28th and said, “We plan to report on the impeachment of Director Choi on December 2nd.” The reasons for impeachment were explained as “various issues related to the audit of the President’s official residence, and many potential violations of the National Assembly Testimony and Appraisal Act, such as failure to submit data during this state administration audit.” The issue of perjury and failure to submit materials to the National Assembly related to the poor audit of the relocation of the President’s official residence, where suspicions of First Lady Kim Kun-hee’s involvement were raised, were cited as grounds for impeachment. The Democratic Party plans to process the impeachment bill against Chief Prosecutor Lee and Director Choi at the plenary session on the 4th.
The Democratic Party has criticized Director Choi, saying, “He is ‘thankful for being considerate’” regarding suspicions related to the relocation of the presidential office and official residence. Opposition lawmakers, including the Democratic Party, decided to file a complaint against Director Choi on the grounds that he refused to disclose the minutes of the meeting related to the relocation of the President’s Office at the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee audit last month. It is assessed that the Board of Audit and Inspection’s recent targeting of the Moon Jae-in administration also had an impact on the push for this impeachment bill. Director Choi, who was appointed as the Chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection in November 2021 during the Moon Jae-in administration, has been conducting audits targeting the Moon Jae-in administration together with Secretary-General Yoo Byung-ho during the Yoon Seok-yeol administration. According to the Impeachment and Additional Auditors Act of the Board of Audit and Inspection, if Director Choi is impeached and suspended from office, the highest-ranking member of the Board of Audit and Inspection will take over as acting director. The audit committee
Since the start of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, there have been five impeachment bills that have passed the plenary session of the National Assembly led by the Democratic Party. Impeachment motions against Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, Korea Communications Commission Chairman Lee Jin-sook, and prosecutors Ahn Dong-wan, Lee Jeong-seop, and Son Jun-seong were handled solely by the opposition party, and impeachment hearings are underway at the Legislative and Judiciary Committee level for prosecutors Kang Baek-shin, Park Sang-yong, Um Hee-jun, and Kim Young-cheol. A hearing will be held for Prosecutors Kang and Um on the 11th of next month.
People Power Party floor spokesperson Park Joon-tae pointed out, “The Democratic Party has continued its political intimidation of the Board of Audit and Inspection using its majority of seats as a weapon,” and added, “It is clearly a retaliatory impeachment regardless of the reasons given by the Democratic Party.”
Reporter Myungjin Yoon mjlight@donga.com
Reporter Lee Sang-heon dapaper@donga.com
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