[2026 Audit] Industry Committee Cooperates on US Investment Leak... Dispute Over Adoption of Honam Semiconductor Witnesses

Ruling and Opposition Parties Call for Probe and Investigation into Leak of Closed-Door Meeting
People Power Party Demands Samsung and SK Officials as Witnesses... Democratic Party Says "Further Discussions Needed"

At the National Assembly's Trade, Industry, Energy, Small and Medium Business Committee audit, both the ruling and opposition parties agreed to investigate the circumstances surrounding the leak of the transcript from the closed-door briefing on investments in the United States. Although both parties jointly expressed regret over the fact that the contents of a confidential meeting were leaked and reported in the media, they clashed over the selection of witnesses from companies involved in the process of selecting the site for the Honam Semiconductor Cluster.

During the audit of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy by the Committee on this day, Jang Cheolmin, secretary of the Democratic Party of Korea, raised an issue regarding the leak and press coverage of the transcript from the earlier closed briefing related to strategic investments in the United States. Assemblyman Jang emphasized, "The decision by the standing committee to receive and monitor sensitive national and diplomatic matters in closed sessions has been undermined," and called for a committee-level criminal complaint and an official investigation into the incident.

Kim Jung-kwan, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, is taking the oath as a witness at the National Assembly's Trade, Industry, Energy, Small and Medium Business Committee's audit held on the 6th. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

The People Power Party also agreed on the need to determine how the leak occurred and its root causes. Koo Jakun, secretary for the People Power Party, said, "This is a matter that needs to be thoroughly reviewed by both parties," and consented to the Democratic Party's request for legal action. Kim Seongwon, chairperson of the Committee, stated, "I will work to draft a resolution calling for an investigation in consultation with both party secretaries," and said measures would be put in place to prevent a recurrence.

However, regarding the issue of selecting witnesses related to the Honam Semiconductor Mega Project, the ruling and opposition parties remained at odds. The People Power Party insisted that for proper verification of the investment decisions and coordination processes in these large-scale national projects promoted by the government, it is essential to have officials from semiconductor companies such as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix present as witnesses.

Suh Jiyeong, a member of the People Power Party, pointed out, "We requested 24 documents related to the Southern Semiconductor Belt and the three major mega projects, but 21 of them were not submitted." She further stated, "Officials from the two companies, who are the main agents of these projects, must appear at the audit to explain the status of their progress and the consultation process." Suh also demanded clarification on why the requests for witnesses from Samsung and SK were not accepted.

Koo also maintained, "The companies are refusing to submit documents citing business confidentiality, but since a significant amount of taxpayers' money is being invested, the documentation is necessary to verify both corporate investments and government support in these projects."

In contrast, Jang, the Democratic Party secretary, said, "Aside from requests for the attendance of Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Choi Tae-won from the opposition, I have not heard of requests to summon other project managers or officials as witnesses," adding, "We will continue consultations going forward, including on such matters." Since discussions between the party secretaries are still ongoing, the possibility for summoning additional witnesses remains open.

On this day, opposition lawmakers also raised concerns regarding the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's submission of materials. Choi Sujin of the People Power Party criticized, "Materials such as the economic feasibility study and the investment viability analysis for the US investment project were not submitted, which amounts to denying the National Assembly its budget review authority."

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