Contentious Start to National Assembly's 2026 Audit Session

The 2026 National Assembly audit session kicked off with heated exchanges. Debates ranged from the issue of Supreme Court justice nominations to the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency (SCIA) and a landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

In particular, the National Assembly's Legislative and Judiciary Committee, which held the Supreme Court audit, saw discussions about "impeachment grounds," "shopping for justices," and even the phrase "Dreaming of a Second Yoon Suk Yeol," along with the remark, "You should become a human being." Here’s a summary of the notable comments from the first day of the audit.

The most contentious remarks came from the Legislative and Judiciary Committee.

During the Supreme Court audit on October 6, lawmakers clashed over the issue of Supreme Court justice nominations and witness testimonies.

Progressive Party lawmaker Son Sol questioned Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae, asking, "Are you perhaps dreaming of a second Yoon Suk Yeol?" He added, "Many citizens are asking if you are engaging in politics while wearing a judicial robe."

Cho, who had previously stated he would not allow witness testimonies based on the principles of separation of powers and judicial independence, responded, "Such remarks are very insulting and sad."

Following Son's comments, the atmosphere in the audit room became even more charged. Lawmaker Kim Tae-kyu of the People Power Party retorted, "What level are you at? You should become a human being," and directed a comment at Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Yong-min, saying, "Did you get scratched by an owl rock?"

Chairman Seo Young-kyo of the Legislative and Judiciary Committee stated, "Kim Tae-kyu's remarks are too much to bear," and suspended his speaking rights. The session was briefly disrupted as lawmakers from both parties protested.

The debate over the Supreme Court justice nomination issue featured strong language regarding "impeachment" and "shopping."

Democratic Party lawmaker Park Kyun-taek told Chief Justice Cho, "If you believe the nomination power is above the president's appointment power, you are very mistaken. Refusing to nominate is a specific violation of constitutional provisions and could be grounds for impeachment."

In contrast, People Power Party lawmaker Joo Jin-woo challenged, "Is it constitutionally permissible for the president to pressure and threaten to nominate a specific justice while insisting on shopping for justices?"

Lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun of the People Power Party criticized the ruling party for not allowing the Chief Justice to leave, suggesting they were trying to tame him to create a "Yoon Seok-yeol's designated Supreme Court" for President Lee Jae-myung.

Chief Justice Cho also presented prepared documents to clarify his position, stating, "Interference by the National Assembly in the Chief Justice's nominations is unconstitutional as it violates the distribution of powers and judicial independence defined by the Constitution." He referenced Article 104 of the Constitution, explaining that both the National Assembly and the president cannot interfere with the Chief Justice's nominations.

Strong statements also emerged regarding the judiciary's response during the December 3 martial law.

When Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Sung-yoon questioned the Supreme Court's response during martial law, Chief Justice Cho countered, "The Supreme Court was the first to declare it unconstitutional and has never cooperated with the martial law."

He detailed the situation during martial law, stating, "The martial law command requested several times for personnel to be dispatched and even asked for lists, but I instructed them not to send anything as it was a constitutional act."

This was the first time Chief Justice Cho publicly detailed the Supreme Court's response during the December 3 martial law.

The Administrative Safety Committee scrutinized the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency (SCIA), which was launched on October 2.

Concerns were raised about the SCIA starting operations without a director and the delayed request for a confirmation hearing for its first nominee, Kim Ji-yong.

When People Power Party lawmaker Kwon Young-jin asked if it was not regrettable for the agency to launch without a leader, Administrative Safety Minister Yoon Ho-jung replied, "I feel regret."

Yoon added, "We did our best, but I feel very sorry for the delay in appointing the director."

In the Political Affairs Committee, the recent landmine explosion incident in the western front DMZ was labeled a "provocation."

Minister of Veterans Affairs Kwon Oh-eul responded to a question from People Power Party lawmaker Shin Dong-wook regarding the incident, which injured three of our soldiers due to a landmine believed to have been planted by North Korean forces, stating, "This is a provocation by North Korea."

When asked if President Lee Jae-myung's description of the landmine explosion as an "unfortunate accident" was appropriate, Kwon refrained from commenting, saying, "It is not appropriate for a minister to comment on the president's remarks."

The Joint Chiefs of Staff previously assessed that the landmine was a type of anti-personnel mine planted by North Korean forces south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL).

This year's National Assembly audit began on October 6, covering eight committees, including the Supreme Court, the Ministry of Administrative Safety, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

From the first day, debates over significant issues such as the Supreme Court justice nominations, the SCIA's launch, and the DMZ landmine explosion led to intense exchanges, with some committees experiencing heated remarks.

In particular, the Legislative and Judiciary Committee saw clashes between lawmakers over witness testimonies and the Supreme Court justice nomination issue from the morning.

The 2026 National Assembly audit, marked by contentious discussions from the outset, will continue until October 30.

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