The People Power Party on October 20 urged the selection of key witnesses from the Lee Jae-myung administration ahead of the upcoming National Assembly audit of the presidential office. The party criticized the Democratic Party for not cooperating in the witness selection negotiations.
Kim Seung-soo, the People Power Party's floor leader, held a press conference at the National Assembly that afternoon, demanding the Democratic Party's cooperation in selecting witnesses.
"We have repeatedly requested the selection of witnesses from the Lee Jae-myung administration, who are under public suspicion, since last week, but the Democratic Party has not responded at all," Kim said. He added, "If I do it, it's an audit, but if someone else does it, it's a political offensive. This is a classic example of the Democratic Party's double standards."
He also referenced the recent appointments of Im Kwang-hyun as chief of staff and Ha Jun-kyung as policy chief, stating, "If we hold the newly appointed chiefs responsible for nearly 500 days of national governance failures, it is clear they will blame their predecessors." He questioned, "Does the Democratic Party want a 'meaningless audit'?"
Kim demanded the selection of witnesses including former chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik, Kim Hyun-ji, former senior secretary for policy Kim Yong-beom, and Jeong Jin-sang, former head of the Democratic Party's political coordination office. He stated, "Preventing witnesses and informants from attending does not erase the responsibility for governance failures or the public's suspicions."
Currently, both ruling and opposition parties are continuing discussions regarding witness selection, but they have not been able to narrow their differences on key witnesses.
In response to a reporter's question about the possibility of witness selection failing, Kim emphasized, "The audit of the presidential office by the National Assembly is something many citizens are eagerly awaiting. A boycott would only benefit the government and the ruling party," reiterating his commitment to the negotiations.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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