State audit agency apologizes for sitting commissioner's indictment

The Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) issued an apology on Friday after one of its commissioners, Ryou Byeong-ho, was indicted on charges related to the 2022 project to relocate the presidential office to Seoul's Yongsan district during the tenure of ousted President Yoon Seok Yeol. Ryou was arrested earlier in the day and charged with unfairly influencing an audit of the relocation project in an attempt to conceal the results while he served as the agency's secretary general.

The BAI emphasized that Ryou is the first sitting commissioner in its history to face an indictment. In a statement, the agency expressed a "grave responsibility" for causing public concern over its independence and the fairness, objectivity, and neutrality of audits. The BAI vowed to use this incident as a turning point to deeply reflect on itself and make every effort to become an organization that strictly adheres to its constitutional and legal duties.

Following Yoon's removal from office due to his failed martial law bid, President Lee Jae Myung assumed power and relocated the presidential office back to Cheong Wa Dae, the historic complex that had been the nation's capital since 1948.