[Figure in the News] Yoo Byung-ho, Secretary General of the Board of Audit and Inspection, in the 'Presidential Office Text Message Controversy'

Demoted over Wolseong Unit 1 audit under Moon Jae-in government, now a key figure in Board of Audit and Inspection under Yoon Seok-yeol administration

Yoo Byung-ho, Secretary General of the Board of Audit and Inspection. [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Yoonjin Kim] Yoo Byung-ho, who took office as Secretary General in June, is regarded as a key figure in the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI). From the moment he assumed office, he led audits of the previous administration, sparking controversy over political audits and targeted inspections.

Born in 1967 in Hapcheon, Gyeongnam, Secretary General Yoo graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in Political Science, earned a master's degree in Public Administration from Seoul National University, and obtained a master's degree in Law from Indiana University in the United States. After passing the 38th Administrative Examination, he worked at the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs and the Ministry of Information and Communication before starting his career at the BAI in 1997.

Yoo has stated that he was "demoted" twice to non-audit departments after conducting audits on the Moon Jae-in administration. In 2019, while serving as Director of the Local Administration Audit Division 1, he exposed corruption related to "employment inheritance" at Seoul Metro and was reassigned to the Review Office Director position in December of that year. In April 2020, as Director of the Public Institution Audit Bureau, he led an audit on the early shutdown decision of the Wolseong Unit 1 nuclear reactor, announcing that its economic feasibility had been underestimated. In January of this year, he was sent to serve as Director of the Audit Research Institute. Some have criticized these moves as retaliatory personnel actions because Yoo conducted audits that contradicted the administration's policies.

However, after joining the Presidential Transition Committee in May as a specialist in the Political, Judicial, and Administrative Subcommittee, Yoo was appointed Secretary General of the BAI on June 15, becoming a key figure in the organization within five months. The Secretary General of the BAI holds a vice-ministerial level position and is considered the second-in-command after the Chairman of the BAI.

Since Yoo's appointment, the BAI has conducted comprehensive audits of the Moon Jae-in administration, raising concerns about "political audits." Representative audits include the special audit of the West Sea government official shooting incident, which Yoo said he "ordered decisively," as well as audits of the previous administration's policies such as the COVID-19 vaccine supply delay and allegations of manipulation in household trend survey statistics. Audits targeting figures appointed during the Moon administration, including Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission Chairperson Jeon Hyun-hee, have drawn criticism from opposition parties as blatant targeted investigations.

Yoo has emphasized that he does not act under anyone's orders and that there is no political intent behind the audits. During the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee plenary session on August 22, when questioned about the BAI's fairness, he stated, "There were definitely messy external pressures regarding specific audits during the Moon administration," but "I have never experienced such pressure under the current government." Meanwhile, the Democratic Party has filed a complaint with the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) against Yoo and Chairman Choi Jae-ha of the BAI, accusing them of abuse of power and intimidation over audits of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission.

On the other hand, on the 3rd, it was revealed that the BAI had notified former President Moon Jae-in of a written investigation regarding the West Sea government official shooting incident, reigniting controversy over the BAI's political neutrality. Amid this, on the 5th, when a text message surfaced showing Yoo reporting the BAI's announcement in advance to the Presidential Office, the opposition parties launched fierce attacks, claiming "the tail has been caught." The BAI explained that the message was merely a response to media inquiries.