[Comprehensive] Board of Audit and Inspection Begins Audit on Nuclear Phase-Out Procedures… Ruling Party "Abuse of Audit Authority" vs Opposition "Calls for Thorough Investigation"

Im Jong-seok "Choi Jae-hyung, Auditor General, Crossed the Line... Same Scent as Jeon Kwang-hoon and Yoon Seok-youl"
Yang Yi-won-young "Clear Political Audit"
Kim Jong-in "If Illegal Intervention in Nuclear Phase-out, Serious Crime"

President Moon Jae-in is meeting with Koji Domita, the Japanese Ambassador to Korea, in the Blue House reception room on the morning of the 14th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] On the 14th, the ruling party strongly opposed the Board of Audit and Inspection's (BAI) commencement of an audit related to the Moon Jae-in administration's nuclear phase-out policy formulation process, saying "it is abusing its audit authority." Meanwhile, the opposition party warned, "if the Blue House and the government-ruling party obstruct the audit, it will become a source of a lame-duck syndrome," urging a thorough investigation.

Former Presidential Chief of Staff Lim Jong-seok wrote on his Facebook on the same day, "The BAI reportedly began auditing the legality of the Moon Jae-in administration's energy policy formulation process from the 11th," opening with, "In effect, the BAI is trying to judge whether the government's energy transition policy is appropriate."

He criticized, "Following Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, now BAI Chairman Choi Jae-hyung is crossing the line," and asked, "How should we understand the deviation of heads of power institutions who want to challenge and correct the government's fundamental policy direction?"

He continued, "Chairman Choi is clearly engaging in politics now. Using information extortion, ignorance of energy policy, and abuse of BAI authority as weapons, he has boldly jumped into the heart of politics," adding, "Since his term is guaranteed so that he can work with conviction without worrying about power, he uses his term as a shield to boldly engage in politics."

Former Chief of Staff Lim also raised his voice, saying, "I smell the same scent from Jeon Gwang-hoon, Yoon Seok-yeol, and now Choi Jae-hyung," and "Those entrusted with precious and sacred authority wield that authority as power. They arbitrarily interpret laws and systems based on personal inclinations and judgments."

He sarcastically remarked, "When told to guard the house well, they try to take over the master bedroom. When told to work with a sense of ownership, they act like the owner. Wouldn't it be more honest to participate in the Gwanghwamun Taegeukgi rallies like Jeon Gwang-hoon?"

On the afternoon of August 18 last year, at the main conference room of Gwangju Nam-gu Office, Im Jong-seok, Chairman of the South-North Economic and Cultural Cooperation Foundation (Gyeongmunhyeop) and Special Advisor to the President for Foreign Affairs and Security, who serves as the chairman of Gyeongmunhyeop, delivered a greeting at the business agreement ceremony with Gyeongmunhyeop.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Earlier, since the 11th, the BAI has been conducting an audit targeting the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on the formulation process of the 2nd Basic Energy Plan and the 8th Basic Electricity Supply and Demand Plan.

This audit follows a public interest audit request filed in June last year by former People Power Party lawmaker Jeong Gap-yoon, who obtained consent from 547 Ulsan citizens. At that time, Lawmaker Jeong requested the audit on the grounds that "it is illegal to pursue the nuclear phase-out policy by first revising the lower-level Electricity Supply and Demand Plan before revising the top-level energy policy, the Basic Energy Plan."

Regarding this, former Chief of Staff Lim rebutted, "When the Moon Jae-in government took office, it was a situation where the 8th Basic Electricity Supply and Demand Plan, formulated every two years, had to be finalized. Upon verification, the 7th plan established in 2015 had an excessively overestimated demand," and added, "Accordingly, the government began work to reduce coal-fired power considering the revised electricity demand and to rationally adjust the overly concentrated nuclear power plants. The result was the early closure of aged coal-fired plants and suspension of new coal-fired plants. Also, plans for unconstructed nuclear plants were halted."

He further explained, "In the case of Wolseong Unit 1, even before the government took office, court rulings revealed issues with life extension, and after the Gyeongju earthquake, reflecting public safety concerns, it was decided to close it early if it did not affect electricity supply," emphasizing, "Arguing about the sequence of this is completely detached from practical policy operation and is mere theoretical speculation. If an audit is necessary, it should be on the overestimated 7th supply plan and the illegal and unlawful life extension of Wolseong Unit 1."

As former Chief of Staff Lim directly criticized the BAI's audit of the nuclear phase-out procedure, Yang Yi-won-young, a Democratic Party lawmaker and environmental activist, also criticized it as a "clear political audit."

Lawmaker Yang said on her Facebook, "Chairman Choi's abuse of audit authority has crossed the line," and pointed out, "This audit, which aims to overturn the energy transition policy, is a clear political audit where the BAI has crossed a line it should not cross. It is trying to challenge the promises made by the president elected by the people through the Cabinet's resolution."

She added, "This is a clear political audit that directly contradicts Chairman Choi's statement that government policies are not subject to audit," and declared, "Our people have never granted such authority to the BAI."

Kim Jong-in, the Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, is speaking at the Emergency Response Committee meeting held at the National Assembly on the 14th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

On the other hand, the People Power Party warned that if the Blue House and the government-ruling party obstruct the audit by the BAI on the nuclear phase-out policy procedure, it will become a source of a lame-duck syndrome.

Kim Jong-in, the emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party, said at the emergency committee meeting, "Energy policies such as the nuclear phase-out are critical issues that directly affect national security, the national economy, and the lives of the people."

He continued, "If the Basic Energy Plan was manipulated or illegal elements were involved in the process of pursuing the nuclear phase-out, it would be a serious crime shaking the foundation of national institutions, industry, the economy, and people's lives," and criticized, "So far, the Blue House and the government-ruling party have continuously taken reckless measures to cover up the BAI's audit investigation into the manipulation of nuclear power economics. There are concerns about whether this audit will proceed properly."

Kim also emphasized, "I don't know what the regime officials are so anxious to hide. The BAI must thoroughly audit the appropriateness without any hesitation."

Meanwhile, the BAI decided to conduct the audit in September last year but only started now due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the BAI stated, "This audit is not an audit of the nuclear phase-out policy."

The nuclear phase-out is only part of various policies in the Basic Energy Plan and the Basic Electricity Supply and Demand Plan, and the focus of this audit is on the appropriateness of the formulation process, not the policy's appropriateness, according to the BAI's explanation.