[Exclusive] National Assembly Audit Shifts from All-Nighters to On-Time Departures... Audit Hours Down 10% from Last Year

[2025 National Audit Review]
Number of Sessions Past Midnight Drops from 11 to 7
Audit Hours Down by 82 Compared to Last Year...Political Strife Prevails
Civic Group: "Second F Grade in 27 Years"

The 2025 National Assembly audit ended under the stigma of being a "toothless audit," lacking both heated debate and constructive alternatives. There are clear reasons why the harsh criticism from political circles and beyond, calling it the "worst ever" and giving it an "F grade," cannot be dismissed as unfair. According to a comprehensive analysis conducted by The Asia Business Daily on November 7 using the National Assembly’s video conference records system, the all-night audits-once a symbol of the National Assembly audit’s tenacity-have disappeared, replaced by what is now being called the "on-time departure" audit. The total duration of the audit was also shorter compared to previous years.

Audits Shift from All-Nighters to On-Time Departure

Last year (2024), there were 11 instances of audits continuing past midnight. For example, on November 1, the National Assembly Steering Committee’s audit of the Presidential Secretariat continued until 2:43 a.m. The Ministry of Education’s audit on October 8 ended at 2:17 a.m. However, this year, there were only seven instances of sessions going past midnight. Except for the Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting Communications Committee, which ended at 12:53 a.m., most committees concluded their audits just after midnight. The Steering Committee’s audit on the 6th also continued late into the night but ended at 12:01 a.m., just one minute past midnight.

The primary reason for this shift is the reduction in the total audit hours. Last year, all standing committees-including the Steering Committee and other joint committees-conducted audits for a total of 832 hours (based on the video conference records system) during the audit period. In contrast, this year’s (2025) audit lasted only 750 hours. This is a decrease of 9.86%, or roughly one-tenth, compared to last year. This has led to the characterization of this year’s audit as an "on-time departure audit," with most sessions wrapping up by 6 or 7 p.m.

'Powder Keg' Judiciary and Science Committees

The Judiciary Committee and the Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting Communications Committee were at the center of this year’s politically charged audits. The Judiciary Committee saw fierce clashes between the ruling and opposition parties over issues such as whether to summon Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae and Presidential Secretary Kim Hyunji as witnesses. The sessions often devolved into shouting matches and personal attacks, resembling a mudslinging contest. The Science Committee was embroiled in a heated dispute over congratulatory money given at the wedding of Chairwoman Choi Minhee’s daughter. With attention focused on these two committees, lawmakers and aides from other committees expressed a lack of motivation.

Low-level language and behavior were a constant source of controversy throughout the audit. During the audit by the Trade, Industry, Energy, SMEs and Startups Committee, a ruling party lawmaker remarked, "We have to clean up the mess left by the Yoon Suk-yeol administration," to which an opposition lawmaker retorted, "The Lee Jaemyung administration is making a mess right now, too!" Even on the final day of the audit, political strife and physical altercations continued during the Steering Committee’s session. Less than an hour after the session began, a clash erupted between Song Eonseok, floor leader of the People Power Party, and Lee Kiheon, a Democratic Party lawmaker. As the two lawmakers exited the session, the incident escalated into what became known as the "body check controversy," drawing further public criticism.

On the 23rd, at the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting Communications Committee's audit of the Korea Broadcasting System and the Broadcasting Media Communications Deliberation Committee, Kang Jang-gyeom, a member of the People Power Party, is speaking. 2025.10.23 Photo by Kim Hyunmin

The Disgrace of an 'F Grade' After Nine Years

This year, the National Assembly audit received an "F grade" from the National Assembly Audit NGO Monitoring Group, which called it "the worst in history." This is only the second time in 27 years of monitoring that an F grade has been given, the first being in 2016. In a phone interview, Hong Geumae, Executive Director of the NGO Monitoring Group, stated, "Following last year’s D- grade, this year’s audit once again fell far short of public expectations." Since the group introduced the grading system in 2007, the audits have received one B grade, nine C grades, seven D grades, and two F grades over 19 years.

"A National Assembly Audit in Constant Retreat"

Lee Kwangjae, Secretary General of the Korea Manifesto Center, commented in a phone interview, "It is rare to see a situation like this year’s audit, where lawmakers insist the other side is wrong no matter what is said." He added, "The more the National Assembly repeats these audits, the more it seems to regress."

Lee identified three main factors undermining the essence of the audit: lawmakers’ lack of preparation, weakened oversight by civil society and the media, and institutional limitations. He remarked, "Lawmakers attending the audit unprepared are like students chatting during an exam without having studied." He also pointed out the need for improvement in how civil society and the media fail to sufficiently highlight lawmakers who focus on policy questions.