Seoul Ombudsman Committee: "Audit of Jung Wonoh's Overseas Trip Must Respect Independence"

Rebuts criticism at parliamentary audit... "No political interests involved"
Oh Sehoon: "Not in a position to order an audit"

The Seoul Metropolitan Government Citizens' Audit Ombudsman Committee called for respect for "the independence of the audit" regarding allegations related to former Seongdong-gu Mayor Jung Won-oh's official overseas trip. The Democratic Party of Korea has called it a "targeted audit" aimed at a rival to Seoul Mayor Oh Sehoon in the June 3 local elections and demanded that it be stopped.

In a statement issued on October 16, the committee said, "Whether to accept, proceed with or conclude a case filed under the resident audit request system is a matter for the committee to decide independently, in accordance with the standards and procedures set out by law."

Seoul Mayor Oh Sehoon waits for the audit to begin after attending the 2026 National Assembly Public Administration and Security Committee audit of the Seoul Metropolitan Government at Seoul City Hall in Jung-gu, Seoul, on Oct. 15, 2026. Photo by Kang Jinhyeong (2026.10.15)

At the National Assembly Public Administration and Security Committee's audit of the Seoul Metropolitan Government the previous day, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Chae Hyun-il raised allegations that Mayor Oh had ordered a targeted audit related to suspicions surrounding former Seongdong-gu Mayor Jung's overseas trip.

The committee said the resident audit request had been filed on April 6 with joint signatures from more than 150 residents, and that it was lawfully launched on June 25 after the Audit Request Deliberation Committee reviewed the eligibility requirements and voted to accept it. It added, "With regard to matters under investigation, we respected the investigative authorities' exclusive domain of judgment and excluded them from the scope of the audit." It also said, "We have consistently adhered to the principle of auditing only matters that can be independently verified through objective evidence, such as administrative procedures and budget execution."

In response to criticism from ruling party lawmakers the previous day, Mayor Oh also drew a line, saying, "The Citizens' Audit Ombudsman Committee is an independent administrative body that makes decisions collectively," and "The Seoul mayor is not in a position to order an audit of a specific matter."

The committee added, "The resident audit request system is a separate legal procedure established by the Local Autonomy Act and relevant ordinances," and "We have handled all resident audit request cases fairly, based solely on laws and objective facts and without regard to the political interests of any particular political party or individual." It continued, "We will continue to conduct audits fairly and transparently in accordance with lawful procedures, and once an audit is concluded, we will faithfully notify the relevant parties of the results and make them public in accordance with the procedures prescribed by relevant laws."

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