Opposition Party Pushes for 'State Affairs Manipulation Suspicion' Myeong Taekyun as Witness at Operations Committee Audit

"Consultation Between Ruling and Opposition Party Whips Scheduled for Next Week"

The opposition party is pushing to summon Myung Tae-gyun, who is implicated in the 'state affairs manipulation suspicion,' as a witness for the National Assembly's Steering Committee's state audit. This move is interpreted as the Steering Committee, which oversees the presidential office, intending to address related issues after allegations surfaced in a recent media interview that Myung frequently met with President Yoon Seok-yeol and his spouse.

President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife attend a dinner meeting with Filipino compatriots [Image source=Yonhap News]

According to a Democratic Party official on the 7th, the opposition secretariat of the Steering Committee is accepting additional witness requests for the state audit, and some lawmakers' offices have already applied to summon Myung as an additional witness. The additional witness application period is scheduled to continue until the 15th.

The institutions under the Steering Committee's jurisdiction include the Presidential Secretariat and the Security Office, which are related to the president's overall duties. In a recent media interview, Myung claimed that he visited the president's residence countless times during the 2022 presidential election and recommended appointing former Board of Audit and Inspection Chairman Choi Jae-hyung as Prime Minister. The opposition is expected to call Myung and officials from the Presidential Secretariat and Security Office for questioning at the Steering Committee.

However, coordination with the ruling party remains a variable. The People Power Party is expected to reject Myung's witness appointment during the consultation process. The presidential office has also denied having received advice or communication from Myung. A Democratic Party official said, "We plan to consult between the ruling and opposition secretariats next week regarding the witness appointment," adding, "I am not sure if the consultation will be successful."

Myung was also appointed as a witness for the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee's state audit on the 25th of last month. The Democratic Party demanded Myung's witness appointment to investigate allegations of Kim Geon-hee's interference in candidate nominations. The Public Administration and Security Committee oversees the Central Election Commission and others. Myung is suspected of using his acquaintance with President Yoon and his spouse to interfere in the nomination process of former People Power Party lawmaker Kim Young-sun.