Chairman of Board of Audit and Inspection impeached

[Anchor]

Today (12.5), in the National Assembly plenary session, the impeachment motion against the Board of Audit and Inspection Chairman Choe Jae-hae and Chief Prosecutor of Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office Lee Chang-soo, along with two other prosecutors, was passed amid the absence of ruling party members.

The duties of Chairman Choe and Prosecutor Lee will be suspended until the Constitutional Court's decision is made.

Reporter Jeon Hyun-woo reports.

[Report]

["The impeachment motion against Chairman Choe Jae-hae has been declared passed."]

The first-ever impeachment motion against a Board of Audit and Inspection chairman has passed the National Assembly plenary session, led by the Democratic Party and four other opposition parties.

The Democratic Party cited Chairman Choe's statement that 'the audit supports state affairs' as a denial of 'independent status in his duties' and pointed out that the inadequate audit related to the relocation of the presidential office undermined fairness as grounds for impeachment.

[Lee Sung-yoon/Democratic Party Member: "As a constitutional institution, the actions of the Board of Audit and Inspection Chairman that violate the Constitution and laws, and undermine the independence and fairness of the Board, cannot be tolerated."]

The impeachment motions against Chief Prosecutor Lee Chang-soo, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Cho Sang-won, and Anti-Corruption Division Chief Choi Jae-hoon of the Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office were also passed.

The inadequate investigation and non-prosecution decision regarding the 'Deutsch Motors stock manipulation case' involving First Lady Kim Keon-hee were presented as grounds for impeachment.

With the delivery of the National Assembly's resolution, the duties of the impeached parties have been suspended.

["Apologize. Apologize. Apologize."]

The People Power Party strongly opposed this, calling it 'political violence and retaliatory impeachment by the Democratic Party' and did not participate in the vote.

[Choo Kyung-ho/People Power Party Floor Leader: "This seems that if it interferes with the protection of Representative Lee Jae-myung, they will intimidate and paralyze the functions of state agencies, constitutional institutions, and investigative agencies through impeachment...."]

Since the current government took office, the Democratic Party has proposed a total of 18 impeachment motions against high-ranking public officials.

Excluding this impeachment motion, only five have passed the threshold of the plenary session and moved to the Constitutional Court, of which three have been dismissed and two are under review.

KBS News, Jeon Hyun-woo.