A National Assembly audit of South Korea's presidential secretariat was thrown into disarray on Thursday, according to KBS 뉴스. The session broke down amid disputes over which witnesses would be called, including Kim Hyun-ji, and over a remark attributed to Kim Tae-gyu that drew conflicting reactions from the parties.
KBS 뉴스 reported that one side accused the other of blocking the adoption of witnesses such as Kim Hyun-ji, while opponents demanded that Kim Tae-gyu leave the proceedings. The outlet framed the standoff around these two grievances without detailing how the session concluded.
Coverage of the same audit by other outlets pointed to related friction. The Dong-A Ilbo reported a clash in the operating committee session over Kim Tae-gyu's so-called "insurrection remark," with the ruling camp calling for his resignation and the opposition arguing the claim lacked a basis. YTN described a head-on collision over witness selection, with one side calling it wasteful political conflict and the other labeling the proceedings a "shield" audit. Yonhap reported that the parties also argued over the response to North Korean landmines and the submission of documents.
The audit is one of the legislature's main tools for scrutinizing the presidential office, and witness lists are often contested because they determine which officials and outside figures can be questioned under oath.
Watch for whether the parties reschedule the session and whether Kim Tae-gyu's remark becomes the subject of a formal complaint.
