On October 29, lawmakers engaged in a heated debate during the National Assembly's Operations Committee national audit, focusing on the presidential office, the National Security Office, and the Presidential Security Service regarding witness selection and document submission.
During the afternoon session, members of the Democratic Party and the People Power Party clashed over the failure to select witnesses such as Kim Hyun-ji, head of the Presidential Office's first secretariat, and Jung Jin-sang, former head of the Democratic Party's policy coordination office, as well as the refusal of the presidential office to submit requested documents.
The debate was initiated by People Power Party lawmaker Kim Mi-ae, who stated, "After the withdrawal of former Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won and former Minister of Gender Equality and Family nominee Yong Hye-in, former Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik also stepped down. We need to confirm who recommended and verified these appointments that led to such personnel disasters."
She continued, "The Democratic Party has rejected all witnesses related to the personnel intervention allegations involving Kim Hyun-ji and Jung Jin-sang, known as the 'Seongnam-Gyeonggi line,' as well as those connected to real estate policies and single-stock leveraged ETFs. Why are they blocking the verification process that should represent the people? Is this still a government of popular sovereignty?"
Lawmaker Yoon Yong-geun also pointed out that the presidential office had refused to submit key documents related to allegations of the relocation of the presidential residence.
Yoon stated, "It has been 17 months since President Lee Jae-myung took office, but the relocation has been delayed. We have not received information on why it has been delayed or how much the construction costs have increased. The Democratic Party previously mentioned a national investigation regarding delays in the presidential residence construction during the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. We urge the submission of additional construction costs and maintenance expenses related to the relocation."
Additionally, during the national audit, People Power Party lawmaker Choi Eun-seok requested permission to play recordings related to the single-stock leveraged ETF, leading to a heated exchange as the Democratic Party opposed the request.
Choi argued, "I request the playback of the recordings from the Blue House meeting on January 13, when the decision to introduce the single-stock leveraged ETF was made. If playback is blocked, who will address the public's outrage?"
The Democratic Party questioned the appropriateness of the recordings, and as tensions rose between lawmakers, Operations Committee Chairman Han Byeong-do, also the Democratic Party's floor leader, intervened, urging cooperation between the parties.
Meanwhile, prior to the national audit, there was a heated discussion regarding the attendance of People Power Party lawmaker Kim Tae-kyu, who faced controversy over his remarks. The ruling party's floor leader, Cheon Jun-ho, noted that he had previously requested Kim Tae-kyu's resignation during the last Operations Committee meeting, but no apology or disciplinary action had been taken.
As protests from both sides continued regarding Kim Tae-kyu's resignation, Han criticized, "It is a serious contradiction that someone who supports and glorifies insurrection is part of this committee."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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