On the 27th, it was reported that the Board of Audit and Inspection sent an official letter to the National Assembly's standing committees asking them to inform the board of matters deemed to require audits identified during the budget and settlement review and the parliamentary audit process. It is said to be unprecedented for the board to send such a request to the National Assembly. In political circles, some said, "Isn't the Board of Audit and Inspection seeking to expand targeted audits of the previous administration?"
According to ChosunBiz's reporting compiled that day, the Board of Audit and Inspection's official letter was delivered to the chairpersons and the ruling and opposition party secretaries of all standing committees except the Intelligence Committee and the Operations Committee. The letter runs eight pages of A4 paper.
The letter begins, "The Board of Audit and Inspection seeks to identify matters of public concern, major budget projects, and other items considered to require audits going forward, and to refer to and use them in drawing up the 2026 audit plan."
It continues, "The Board of Audit and Inspection plans to collect opinions on matters requiring audits from the National Assembly's standing committees and the Special Committee on Budget & Accounts and reflect them in audit operations," adding, "From Nov. 25 to Dec. 8, please compile opinions by committee through the chairpersons' offices and the secretaries' offices of both parties."
In the letter, the Board of Audit and Inspection described the matters requiring audits for which it requested opinions from the National Assembly as "matters within the scope of the board's duties under Articles 22 to 24 of the Board of Audit and Inspection Act and Articles 4 and 5 of the Board of Audit and Inspection audit affairs handling rules." In effect, it is saying it will accept tips related to all accounting inspections and duty supervision of the central government and local governments.
Previously, at his inauguration in September, Board of Audit and Inspection Secretary General Jeong Sang-u said he would draw up the annual audit plan in consultation with the National Assembly. Although the board is a constitutional body under the president, audit work is to be carried out independently. Until now, audit plans were drafted independently and were not coordinated with the National Assembly.
Also, regarding the Board of Audit and Inspection's audit of the previous administration over alleged "cover-up of the truth about the killing of a West Sea public official," the board on the 26th filed complaints against seven people, including then-Secretary General Yu Byung-ho, now a commissioner. This prompted criticism that it was a targeted audit of the previous administration.
In political circles, some said, "With the Democratic Party holding a majority of seats in the National Assembly, if the Board of Audit and Inspection henceforth sets audit plans in consultation with the National Assembly, it ultimately means the board will audit what the Democratic Party asks it to audit." The point is that the board, a constitutionally independent body, undermined its own political neutrality.