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| ▲ This Oct. 13, 2022, photo shows the main opposition Democratic Party floor leader Park Hong-geun. (Pool photo) (Yonhap) |
opposition party-Yoon
DP urges Yoon to dismiss presidential aide for alleged collusion with state auditor
SEOUL, Oct. 13 (Yonhap) -- The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) on Thursday urged President Yoon Suk-yeol to sack a senior secretary in connection with allegations that the presidential office pressed the state auditor to launch politically motivated inspections.
Senior presidential secretary for policy and planning Lee Kwan-sup has been under fire after Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) Secretary-General Ryou Byeong-ho was caught on a press camera last week exchanging text messages with him.
The messages were about how the BAI will respond to a media report on the agency's inspection into the previous administration's handling of the death of a South Korean fisheries official killed by North Korea near the western sea border in 2020.
The DP claimed the messages show the BAI's audit of the previous administration was politically motivated.
DP floor leader Park Hong-geun said Thursday that Lee should be sacked to have him take responsibility for the case that he said "shakes the foundation of constitutional order."
On Wednesday, the DP filed a complaint with the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) against Ryou and Lee on charges of abuse of power and violating the BAI Act.
"The CIO should conduct a thorough investigation into the case and restore the BAI's independence and impartiality," Park said.
The DP floor leader also slammed the BAI for demanding to look into train ride records of about 7,000 public officials, including those appointed by the previous administration.
"The BAI has become a 'big brother' used for the Yoon Suk-yeol government's political oppression," he said.
Yoon has denied the allegation that his office exerted influence on the BAI.
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