Board of Audit and Inspection: "Issues Found During Reaudit of Presidential Residence Relocation... Will Handle Strictly"

"Transfer of Citizen Proposal Audit 1 Bureau Chief
Not a Retaliatory Personnel Move"

On the 9th, the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) stated, "During the process of collecting materials for the audit of the presidential residence relocation, some issues were detected," and added, "During the upcoming on-site audit, we will verify whether these issues involve any illegality or impropriety and will strictly handle them according to principles."

In a press release distributed that day, the BAI said, "To conduct a re-audit of the presidential residence relocation requested by the National Assembly, the audit team was formed mainly around the 1st Division of the 1st Bureau of Citizen Proposal Audit 1, and from February 10 to April 4 this year, material collection for the residence relocation audit was carried out, during which issues were detected."

The BAI also expressed its position regarding the recent personnel transfer of the head of the 1st Bureau of Citizen Proposal Audit 1. The BAI stated, "The personnel appointment was made after comprehensively considering the inappropriate handling of duties prior to the 'residence relocation National Assembly audit request' by the bureau chief, as well as his work performance capabilities," and added, "Reports claiming it was a retaliatory personnel move are not true."

Furthermore, it added, "This was a legitimate exercise of personnel authority to appoint the most suitable person with extensive practical experience and expertise in audit request work as the new bureau chief, in order to faithfully carry out the National Assembly audit requests related to the residence relocation audit."

Earlier, a media outlet reported that the personnel transfer of the head of the 1st Bureau of Citizen Proposal Audit 1 occurred immediately after the reinstatement of BAI Chairman Choi Jae-hae, who had been impeached by the National Assembly amid controversies over the residence relocation audit, and that there were allegations of retaliatory personnel moves.

Choi Jae-hae, Chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection, is stating his position as he arrives at the Board of Audit and Inspection in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 13th. On the same day, the Constitutional Court unanimously dismissed the impeachment motion against Chairman Choi. March 13, 2025. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung