Parliamentary Audits Enter Second Half... Parties Clash Over Jo Hee-dae Impeachment, Kim Hyun-ji Witness Selection

Legislation and Judiciary Committee: Clash over calls to impeach Chief Justice Jo Heedae
Political Affairs Committee: Responsibility for leveraged ETFs also a point of contention
Steering Committee: Ruling and opposition parties clash over calling Kim Hyunji as a witness

The 2026 parliamentary audit has reached its midpoint as it enters its third week. In the second half of the audit, the ruling and opposition parties are expected to clash more fiercely over calls to impeach Supreme Court Chief Justice Jo Hee-dae, responsibility for introducing single-stock leveraged exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and the selection of witnesses from the President’s Office.

The National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee will begin its audit of the Seoul Metropolitan Public Prosecution Office on October 19, followed by an audit of the Public Prosecution Office on October 22. As some members of the Democratic Party of Korea have even called for Chief Justice Jo’s impeachment, the issue has emerged as a key point of contention.

Kim Min-seok, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said on the party’s YouTube channel, Democratic Party TV, on October 16, “Broad calls [for the impeachment of Chief Justice Jo] have already emerged, so we have begun discussing every issue through every possible method and channel.”

The People Power Party pushed back, saying the move was an attempt to pressure the judiciary and prevent President Lee’s trial from resuming. At a party meeting of supreme council members that day, leader Jang Dong-hyeok said, “They are trying to prevent the Chief Justice from making judicial appointments because they are concerned about President Lee’s trial resuming.” He added, “Ultimately, the Democratic Party’s goal is to suspend the Chief Justice from his duties, rather than impeach him.”

South Korea's Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae sits after refusing to take the witness oath during a parliamentary audit of the Supreme Court at the National Assembly on the 6th. Photo by Yun Dongju

At the Political Affairs Committee, which will hold an audit of the Financial Supervisory Service that day, a dispute over who is responsible for introducing single-stock leveraged ETFs is expected to flare up again. Tensions between the ruling and opposition parties are also expected to continue over the selection of Kim Yong-beom, policy chief at the President’s Office, as a witness.

The People Power Party says the process of introducing the ETFs and who bears ultimate responsibility must be examined, given growing concerns about losses among individual investors. The Democratic Party, meanwhile, says the products were introduced in response to market demand and through established procedures, and rejects turning the issue into a political dispute.

At the Steering Committee’s October 30 audit of the President’s Office, whether Kim Hyun-ji, the office’s first deputy chief of staff, will appear is expected to be a key issue. The opposition says Kim should be called to answer questions about the President’s Office’s approach to personnel management and its vetting process. The committee will discuss the witness list at a full meeting on October 21.

Other major points of contention in the second half of the audits include the controversy over the film “The Assassins” at the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, and the fallout at the Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee following the recusal of People Power Party lawmaker Lee Jin-sook from proceedings involving the Korea Communications Commission.

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