Nat'l Assembly to kick off annual audit of gov't agencies

The National Assembly is set to commence its annual audit of government agencies on Tuesday, according to Yonhap news agency. Rival parties are anticipated to spar over several key issues during the 27-day audit, which begins on October 6th.

Two contentious topics are expected to dominate the proceedings at the legislation and judiciary committee. The first is Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae's decision not to recommend a new justice nominee to President Lee Jae Myung. The president had requested Cho's recommendation due to concerns over his initial written selection of two candidates.

Cho declined, citing lack of constitutional authority to do so. He has indicated he will clarify his position during the parliamentary audit, although he has submitted a written notice indicating he will not attend as a witness.

Another potentially explosive issue will be the recent transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war from Ukraine to South Korea. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the transfer last month, a move South Korea claims was unauthorized. Seoul has accused Ukraine of violating a bilateral agreement to keep the transfer confidential, while Ukraine denies any such agreement exists.

The explosions of land mines planted by North Korea inside the Demilitarized Zone that injured three South Korean soldiers will also be under review.