Cheon Ha-ram "Drunk driving Kang Ki-hoon absent from National Assembly audit... Did he go on a healing trip?"

Issuance of Accompaniment Order and Proposal for Prosecution

Cheon Ha-ram, a member of the Reform New Party, criticized Kang Ki-hoon, Senior Administrative Officer of the Presidential Office's National Policy Planning Secretariat, for his absence from the National Assembly's audit on the 29th.

On the same day, Cheon wrote on his SNS, "Kang Ki-hoon, who is at the center of the controversy over drunk driving and the president's leniency, submitted a reason for his absence from the Operations Committee audit," adding, "He claimed that he is currently suspended from duty and excluded from work, and that it is difficult to change his schedule due to being overseas."

Cheon criticized, "If he is suspended and excluded from work, he should not be staying overseas on official business. Did he go on a trip for leisure? Did he go on a healing trip to soothe the sorrow from the criminal punishment for drunk driving?"

Representative Cheon Ha-ram questioning at the National Assembly audit
(Daejeon=Yonhap News) Reporter Lee Eun-pa = Cheon Ha-ram, a member of the Reform New Party belonging to the National Assembly's Planning and Finance Committee, is questioning during the national audit of the Public Procurement Service, Korea Customs Service, and Statistics Korea held at the government Daejeon office large conference room on the 18th. 2024.10.18
sw21@yna.co.kr
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Earlier in June, Kang was caught driving under the influence near Hannam-dong and received a summary judgment with a fine of 8 million won. In July 2022, a controversy arose when it was revealed that President Yoon sent a 'cherry thumbs-up' emoticon in a messenger conversation with Kwon Seong-dong, acting leader of the People Power Party, who then typed the message "with Kang Ki-hoon."

It is known that Kang Ki-hoon was among the eight people whom Han Dong-hoon, leader of the People Power Party, requested to be replaced during his meeting with President Yoon Seok-yeol.

Cheon pointed out, "It is unacceptable for a public official of the Presidential Office, who is not a private sector worker, to be absent from the audit due to overseas stay unrelated to official duties. This is especially true for someone at the center of the drunk driving and presidential leniency controversy."

He then urged, "I propose to Chairman Park Chan-dae of the National Assembly Operations Committee and the party secretaries to issue a summons and proceed with a complaint against Kang Ki-hoon," and added, "I demand Chief Secretary Jeong Jin-seok to have Kang Ki-hoon return to the country and attend the audit before the Presidential Office's National Assembly audit."