"Lee Jae-yong and Chey Tae-won Must Testify"...Ruling and Opposition Parties Clash Over 'Honam Semiconductor' Audit Witnesses

Full Meeting of the Industry Committee Held on the 22nd
Opposition: "We Must Verify the Honam Semiconductor Site Selection Process and Company Positions"
Ruling Party: "Witness Negotiations Ongoing... Difficult to Disclose Details of the Process

At the National Assembly's Industry, Trade, and SMEs Committee, there was a dispute between the ruling and opposition parties regarding whether to summon Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won as witnesses for the upcoming parliamentary audit, in connection with the government's selection of a site for the "Honam Semiconductor Cluster." The People Power Party insisted that it is necessary to confirm the process behind the site selection and the companies' positions, while the Democratic Party stated that discussions on witness selection had not yet concluded and additional consultations would be held.

On the 22nd, the committee held a plenary meeting and initially selected four ordinary witnesses and one reference witness for this year's parliamentary audit. For the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy audit, Choi Seungho, Chairman of the Samsung Group Labor Union, and Lee Kisung, Chairman of BS Group, will attend. For the Ministry of SMEs and Startups audit, witnesses include Kim Byung-joo, Chairman of MBK Partners, and Jeong Woo-shin, Head of the Private Business Cooperation Division at Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH).

The plenary meeting of the Industry, Trade, Small and Medium Enterprises Committee held at the National Assembly on the 22nd. Photo by Yonhap News

For the Intellectual Property Commission audit, Heo Yoon-hee, Head of the Patent Crime Investigation Division at the Daejeon District Prosecutors’ Office, will attend as a reference witness to testify on investigative responses to technology leakage cases following the abolishment of supplementary investigative rights. The witness list adopted on this day did not include personnel related to the semiconductor businesses of Samsung Electronics or SK Group.

The People Power Party demanded the summoning of Chairman Lee and Chairman Chey as witnesses, emphasizing the need to verify both the process of selecting the site for the government-led Honam Semiconductor Cluster and the companies’ intentions to invest.

Woo Jaejun, a member of the People Power Party, said, "The Honam semiconductor project is a crucial matter that determines the destiny of the nation, and many people are curious about how the site was chosen and what the companies’ positions are. I have repeatedly requested that Chairman Lee, as well as other responsible parties, attend as witnesses to explain the situation." He continued, "Please explain why representatives from Samsung and SK were omitted from the general witness list."

Cho Jiyeon, another member of the People Power Party, argued, "The Honam semiconductor project involved a nationally significant decision-making process, so it is necessary to hear responsible answers from representatives of Samsung and SK." In addition, Yoon Han-hong of the People Power Party criticized, "In the past, the Democratic Party took the lead in summoning corporate chairmen and other key figures as witnesses, but this year, the situation is the exact opposite. It is the Democratic Party that is opposing the People Power Party’s demands for verification about how semiconductor investment is being carried out."

The Democratic Party explained that the witness list has not yet been finalized and stated that it is difficult to disclose specific details of ongoing negotiations. Jang Cheol-min, the Democratic Party's secretary on the committee, said, "There is still time before the audit begins, and several additional discussions on witness selection are scheduled. If all negotiation steps for each case are disclosed, it will be difficult to proceed with further consultations." Democratic Party member Kim Won-yi pointed out, "It is customary for discussions about witnesses to be conducted by each party’s secretary. Raising complaints in the plenary meeting is effectively criticizing one’s own secretary."

Kim Sungwon, Chairman of the Committee, reiterated that the witness list had not yet been finalized and urged the ruling and opposition party secretaries to continue additional consultations until next week.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.