Assembly committee clashes over audit witnesses as PPP pushes to summon first lady

The ruling and opposition parties clashed over witness selections for the Oct. 29 national audit of the presidential secretariat. The People Power Party's requests to summon former Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik, former Policy Chief Kim Yong-beom and First Annex Office Chief Kim Hyun-ji were all blocked by the ruling Democratic Party of Korea.

The National Assembly's Operations Committee held a plenary session Wednesday and, under Democratic Party leadership, approved the audit plan and witness list. New Chief of Staff Im Gwang-hyeon, Policy Chief Ha Jun-gyeong, National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac and Presidential Security Service Director Hwang In-gwon were confirmed as institutional witnesses.

The session turned contentious from the outset. People Power Party Lawmaker Yun Yong-geun opened by raising allegations that President Lee Jae Myung had delayed his move to the Hannam-dong official residence, and called for first lady Kim Hye-gyeong to be summoned as a witness. The Democratic Party shot back, calling the demand "a baseless political attack."

Committee Chairman Han Byung-do, who also serves as the Democratic Party's floor leader, sharpened his response. "I have never heard of calling a first lady as a witness when no specific charges have been identified against her," he said, adding that the administrative secretary had already been named as an institutional witness and could adequately address the questions raised.

People Power Party Senior Floor Management Deputy Kim Seung-su pushed back, citing the precedent of former Chief of Staff Kim Dae-gi appearing at a previous national audit. Fellow PPP Lawmaker Choi Eun-seok also weighed in, saying he had "serious doubts" about whether the Democratic Party truly cared about the public and people's livelihoods, given its insistence on blocking witness requests for both the current and former chiefs of staff.

Democratic Party Lawmaker Jeon Eun-su fired back, urging the PPP to "conduct the audit with precision, not hearsay," and expressing deep disappointment at the push to call the first lady as a witness over a residence relocation. "The national audit is not a place to go after people," she said.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party leadership voted Wednesday to issue formal warnings to Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae and Lawmaker Bu Seung-chan over remarks they made about fire department finances.

Party Spokesperson Jo Gye-won told reporters after a closed-door supreme council meeting at the National Assembly that the leadership had reached a consensus on the measure. "This is meant to urge the individuals concerned to reflect deeply and prevent a recurrence," Jo said. "The party again apologizes to firefighters and the public." He added that the party would do its utmost to improve firefighter safety and working conditions.

The controversy stems from remarks made at separate national audit sessions. At the Gyeonggi Province audit held by the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee on Oct. 13, Governor Choo said fire department finances felt like "the biggest headache — like a financial straw sucking resources dry." Then, at a separate Gyeonggi Province audit held by the Land and Transportation Committee on Monday, Lawmaker Bu compounded the controversy by saying that because firefighters are national civil servants yet roughly 90 percent of their budget is borne by local governments, they are "really sucking the finances dry."

With the party leadership moving to contain the fallout by apologizing directly and warning both figures, political observers say aftershocks could still ripple through the party. Some analysts note that disciplinary action against Governor Choo risks stoking a backlash from hardline lawmakers and core supporters, potentially escalating into a broader conflict between the party's mainstream faction and its more militant wing.