Ruling and Opposition Parties Fail to Agree on Summoning Kim Hyunji as Witness for Steering Committee Audit

No Conclusion Reached After Over Two Hours of Discussion

With the National Assembly Steering Committee's audit of government affairs scheduled for next month, the ruling and opposition parties discussed on the 28th whether to summon Kim Hyunji, the First Secretary to the President, as a witness, but failed to reach a conclusion.

On the 28th, Moon Jinseok, the Chief Deputy Whip of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Yoo Sangbeom, the Chief Deputy Whip of the People Power Party, are meeting and talking at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

On this day, Moon Jinseok, Chief Deputy Whip for the Democratic Party of Korea, and Yoo Sangbeom, Chief Deputy Whip for the People Power Party-both serving as secretaries for the Steering Committee-held a meeting for over two hours to discuss the list of witnesses to be approved at the full committee meeting scheduled for tomorrow, but could not reach an agreement.

The ruling party insists that Kim should appear before the committee in the morning session of the audit, which will be held on November 6, to accommodate the President's schedule. Moon stated, "It is appropriate for her to attend in the morning, considering the President's schedule."

In contrast, the People Power Party believes that Kim should be present for the entire duration of the audit. Yoo criticized, "If she only comes in the morning, in reality, she would only be present for about an hour."

The ruling and opposition parties are also at odds over the list of other witnesses. The opposition party has requested not only Kim but also her husband as witnesses, to which the ruling party responded by saying, "This is excessive."