5 Former Audit Chiefs "Deep Regret Over Impeachment Push"... Executives Say "Let's Change Ourselves"

Joint Statement by Former Board of Audit Chiefs Urging Suspension
Board of Audit Emergency Meeting... "Must Inform the Public of Unfairness"

Choi Jae-hae, Chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection, is speaking at the plenary session of the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts held at the National Assembly on the 29th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

The Democratic Party of Korea strongly urged the suspension of the impeachment push against Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) Chairman Choi Jae-hae, citing a "poor audit of the presidential office residence relocation."

Former chairmen Jeon Yoon-cheol (19th and 20th), Kim Hwang-sik (21st), Yang Geon (22nd), Hwang Chan-hyun (23rd), and Choi Jae-hyung (24th) issued a joint statement on the 29th, expressing "deep regret and concern over the unprecedented impeachment push against the BAI chairman in the history of the constitutional government by the National Assembly."

They stated, "The National Assembly claims that the audit of the presidential office relocation and the submission of materials for the national audit are grounds for the impeachment of the BAI chairman, but it is questionable whether these constitute serious violations of the Constitution and laws," and urged, "We call on the National Assembly to respect the spirit of the Constitution and halt the impeachment push against the BAI chairman."

They added, "The constitutional values of the BAI's independence and political neutrality must be respected," emphasizing, "The foundation of the constitutional order must not be shaken for political reasons, nor should the BAI's constitutional duties be interrupted."

The BAI convened an emergency meeting in the afternoon with executives at the level of grade 4 managers and above to discuss countermeasures.

A BAI official said, "There was strong agreement on the need to thoroughly inform the public about the unfairness of the impeachment push, and it was a matter of considering ways to protect the independence of the BAI," adding, "Despite the grave political situation, there was consensus on fulfilling our duties while showing self-change and development."

Earlier, the Democratic Party announced that it would file an impeachment motion against Chairman Choi the previous day. This is the first time the National Assembly has filed an impeachment motion against the BAI chairman.