Board of Audit and Inspection: "Personnel Reshuffle Moved Up and Reduced Due to Concerns Over Work Gap"
Choi Jae-hae, Chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection, is leaving the Board of Audit and Inspection in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 5th. On the same day, the National Assembly plenary session passed the impeachment motions against Chairman Choi Jae-hae, proposed by the Democratic Party of Korea, and against Lee Chang-soo, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, along with two others. Photo by Yonhap News
It was confirmed on the 6th that Choi Jae-hae, the Chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection, carried out personnel appointments for directors and section chiefs just before the National Assembly passed the impeachment motion.
According to the Board of Audit and Inspection, Chairman Choi issued transfer orders on the 3rd for 32 directors and section chiefs at levels 2 to 4, ahead of the National Assembly's approval of the impeachment.
Typically, the Board of Audit and Inspection conducts regular personnel appointments around January, but the timing was moved up to prevent work disruptions in case the impeachment was passed. The Chairman can make transfer appointments for employees below level 2 without presidential approval.
An official from the Board of Audit and Inspection explained, "Considering the potential work gap if the impeachment was approved, Chairman Choi advanced the timing of the personnel appointments," adding, "The number of personnel involved was also reduced, focusing on necessary positions."
Chairman Choi's duties were suspended following the National Assembly's passage of the impeachment motion the previous day. In a statement released the day before, he said, "The National Assembly has passed an impeachment motion against me," and expressed "deep regret over the serious harm caused to the independence of the nation's highest audit institution, the Board of Audit and Inspection, due to the politically motivated impeachment process." He added, "I will sincerely participate in the Constitutional Court's impeachment trial and do my best to ensure the Board of Audit and Inspection can be restored to normalcy as soon as possible."
This is the first time that the duties of the Chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection have been suspended following the passage of an impeachment motion in the National Assembly. According to the Board of Audit and Inspection Act, the auditor with the longest tenure, Auditor Cho Eun-seok, will serve as acting chairman.
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