Assembly committee set to clash over witnesses in second half of national audit

As the National Assembly's national audit of the Lee Jae Myung administration enters its third week and passes the halfway mark, the ruling and opposition parties are heading toward a direct confrontation in the Assembly's Steering Committee over whether to subpoena two presidential aides as witnesses.

According to political sources, the Steering Committee will hold a full session Wednesday morning to formally debate whether to call Kim Hyun-ji, the first deputy chief of staff at Cheong Wa Dae, and Kim Yong-beom, the former presidential policy chief, as witnesses.

The People Power Party has demanded Kim Hyun-ji's appearance, saying confirmation is needed regarding a string of ministerial nominee withdrawals and allegations of personnel interference by what it calls the "Gyeonggi Province-Seongnam line." The PPP has also repeatedly pressed for Kim Yong-beom's testimony over the introduction of single-stock leveraged ETFs and real estate policy.

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea, by contrast, is expected to mount a vigorous defense, as it had refused to cooperate with opposition demands for Kim Yong-beom's appearance before the Political Affairs Committee and other panels.

Based on the outcome of the witness vote, the Steering Committee plans to hold a national audit of the Presidential Secretariat, the National Security Office and the Presidential Security Service on Oct. 30. Cheong Wa Dae staff are not automatically required to appear before the Assembly, but a legally binding obligation arises once the Assembly formally designates someone as a witness through proper procedures and issues a summons.

Meanwhile, the two figures were also at the center of a heated exchange at Monday's national audit of the Financial Supervisory Service before the Political Affairs Committee.

People Power Party lawmaker Choi Eun-seok raised allegations of preferential treatment, saying that a tax accounting firm where Kim Hyun-ji's spouse works had produced outside directors at capital companies affiliated with four of the country's major financial holding groups. "Have you ever seen three tax accountants at such a small firm simultaneously land positions at financial holding subsidiaries and the Tax Tribunal?" Choi said. "Who else but Kim Hyun-ji — 'the one who gets everything done' — could pull this off?" FSS Governor Lee Chan-jin said he would look into the matter.

On the introduction of single-stock leveraged ETFs, Seo Il-jun, who leads the opposition's side on the Political Affairs Committee, also took aim at Kim Yong-beom. "If the policy was pushed through despite there being ample opportunity to prevent the side effects during the introduction process, someone must be held accountable," Seo said.