Hearing Report on Kim Ho-chul Adopted as Board of Audit and Inspection Chief ... Unification Church Special Prosecutor Bill Fails to Pass

Confirmation Hearing Report for Kim Ho-chul Adopted
Both "Qualified" and "Unqualified" Opinions Included

On the morning of December 30, the National Assembly's Special Committee on Personnel Hearings held a plenary session and adopted the hearing report on Kim Ho-chul, nominee for Chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection. At 2 p.m. that day, the nomination is scheduled to be put to a vote at the plenary session.

After discussion, lawmakers from both the ruling and opposition parties unanimously agreed to adopt a report that includes both opinions of qualification and disqualification. Jeong Jeom-sik, a member of the People Power Party and chairman of the special committee, explained that the review report "comprehensively reflects the in-depth questions raised by committee members and the candidate's answers during yesterday's hearing, and was prepared by the chair in consultation with the floor leaders of both parties."

Kim Ho-chul, nominee for Chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection, is attending the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly on the 29th and responding to lawmakers' questions. Photo by Yonhap News

It appears that the special prosecutor bill on the Unification Church will not be introduced at the plenary session that day. The previous day, floor leaders from both parties met to discuss the plenary agenda, but reportedly failed to reach an agreement on the scope of the investigation for the Unification Church special prosecutor bill. The Democratic Party insists that the investigation should also include the Shincheonji Church, arguing that the issue of collusion between politics and religion must be eradicated, while the People Power Party opposes this inclusion. As the last plenary session of the year ends without resolving the Unification Church special prosecutor bill, conflicts between the ruling and opposition parties over this issue are expected to continue into next year.

The agenda for the plenary session is expected to include the motion to approve the appointment of Kim Ho-chul as Chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection, the election of standing members of the National Education Commission, and several livelihood-related bills such as the Basic Act on Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Act on the Safety Management of Household Chemical Products, the Special Act on the Maintenance of Aging Planned Cities, and the Electronic Commerce Act.