SEOUL– The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) said Friday it will file a complaint against top officials of the state audit agency next week, accusing them of working with the presidential office to launch politically motivated inspections.
DP floor leader Park Hong-geun said the complaint will be filed against Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) Chair Choe Jae-hae and Secretary-General Ryou Byeong-ho with the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials on charges of violating the Constitution and the BAI Act.
Ryou was caught on a press camera on Wednesday exchanging text messages with senior presidential secretary for policy and planning Lee Kwan-sup, sharing how BAI will respond to a media report on the agency’s inspection into the previous administration’s handling of the death of a South Korean fisheries official killed by North Korea near the western sea border in 2020.
The DP has also decided to file a complaint against Lee.
The messages were found to have been about a report by the local newspaper Hankyoreh the previous day that BAI launched the inspection without discussing the matter with the top decision-making body of the agency.
President Yoon Suk-yeol has denied the allegation that his office exerted influence on BAI.
But DP floor leader Park claimed it is obvious that the presidential office ordered the auditor to launch a probe into the previous government, including former President Moon Jae-in, calling it a “political inspection.”
Late last month, BAI asked Moon to answer questions in writing in connection with the case, but Moon rejected the request as “very disrespectful,” according to DP Rep. Youn Kun-young.
“Unless BAI’s head and secretary-general are dismissed from office, we will consider launching a parliamentary hearing and investigation into the case under the National Assembly Act,” Park said, calling on Yoon to stop the “political oppression” and issue a public apology.
BAI launched the probe into the Moon administration’s handling of the 2020 case on June 17, a day after the Coast Guard said it has not found any circumstances suggesting the fisheries official was attempting to defect, backing away from its previous assumption.
Source: Yonhap News Agency