Politics · South Korea · 2 hrs ago
South Korea opposition criticizes blocked witnesses at presidential office audit
At a National Assembly audit of South Korea’s presidential office on Oct.
29, Kim Hyun-ji and Jung Jin-sang did not appear as witnesses.
People Power Party floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik said the Democratic Party had blocked their attendance.
Kim is a senior presidential office aide, while Jung is a former Democratic Party official.
Jeong said their absence prevented questions about alleged favoritism in public appointments, including claims about links to the president and the ruling party.
He cited his party’s figures that 74 of 364 public institution executives appointed in the past year had such links, and 23 were connected to the Seongnam-Gyeonggi area.
The figures and allegations were presented by Jeong, who called the appointments improper; the Democratic Party’s committee leadership said aides in Kim’s role had not attended audits from 2000 to 2025.
The audit took place without the two requested witnesses, and the sources do not say whether they will be called at a later hearing.
South Korea’s main opposition People Power Party criticized the ruling Democratic Party after two people it wanted as witnesses were not called to a parliamentary audit of the presidential office.
People Power Party floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik said the decision prevented scrutiny of alleged appointment favoritism linked to the Seongnam-Gyeonggi network.
The two proposed witnesses were Kim Hyun-ji, a senior presidential office secretary, and Jeong Jin-sang, a former Democratic Party official.
The Democratic Party said presidential office secretaries had not attended such audits from the 2000s through 2025.
Jeong also cited figures on public-sector appointments, saying 74 of 364 appointees had links to the president or the Democratic Party, including 23 he classified as part of the Seongnam-Gyeonggi network.
- Who
- People Power Party floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik criticized the Democratic Party over the witness decision.
- What
- Kim Hyun-ji and Jeong Jin-sang were not called as witnesses to the parliamentary audit of the presidential office.
- When
- October 29, 2026.
- Where
- At South Korea’s National Assembly; the audit concerned the presidential office.
- Why
- Jeong said the decision blocked scrutiny of alleged appointment favoritism. The Democratic Party cited the lack of precedent for presidential office secretaries attending such audits.
People Power Party
Democratic Party
Witness attendance
People Power Party
Jeong said the Democratic Party’s opposition prevented Kim Hyun-ji and Jeong Jin-sang from appearing and blocked an opportunity to explain alleged appointment favoritism.
Democratic Party
Democratic Party officials said presidential office secretaries had not attended such audits from the 2000s through 2025.
Audit scrutiny
People Power Party
Jeong said refusing the witnesses made the presidential office secretary seem exempt from parliamentary scrutiny.
Democratic Party
The Democratic Party’s stated reason for opposing attendance was the absence of precedent.
The National Assembly’s Steering Committee approved the witness list for the October 29 audit, excluding people requested by the People Power Party.
Jeong Jeom-sik criticized the Democratic Party after Kim Hyun-ji and Jeong Jin-sang were not called to testify at the presidential office audit.
- Audit date
- October 29, 2026
- Proposed witnesses
- Kim Hyun-ji and Jeong Jin-sang
- Committee vote
- October 21, 2026
- Appointments cited by Jeong
- 364 public-sector appointees; 74 said to have links to the president or Democratic Party
- Seongnam-Gyeonggi network
- Jeong classified 23 of the 74 as belonging to this network
3 sources
What people are saying
The government and ruling party gave up the opportunity to explain the allegations of appointment abuse to the public.
The chief of the presidential office secretariat is above the audit? Is Ms. Kim above the chief justice and above the National Assembly?
It was a confession that appointment abuse is not a suspicion but the truth.