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| ▲ Board of Audit and Inspection Chair Choe Jae-hae takes an oath during a parliamentary inspection of his agency at the National Assembly in Seoul on Oct. 11, 2022. (Pool photo) (Yonhap) |
state auditor-ex-first lady
Head of state auditor to review inspection into India visit by ex-first lady Kim
SEOUL, Oct. 11 (Yonhap) -- The head of a state auditor said Tuesday that he will consider launching an inspection into a controversy surrounding a solo visit by former first lady Kim Jung-sook, wife of former president Moon Jae-in, to India in 2018.
Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) Chair Choe Jae-hae made the remarks during a parliamentary audit, as lawmakers of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) raised allegations that Kim took a tour of the iconic Taj Mahal during her visit to India with a hastily arranged budget.
Rep. Cho Su-jin of the PPP told Choe that reserve funds worth 400 million won (US$278,940) had been set aside in just three days for Kim's visit to India at that time.
Asked whether he agrees on the need for an inspection into Kim's visit to India, Choe replied that he will review the matter.
Kim visited India in November 2018. It was the first time in 16 years that a South Korean first lady had made a foreign visit without the president.
Choe also confirmed that BAI had referred the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC), a state anti-corruption agency, to prosecutors for an investigation over allegations that the commission obstructed the agency's audit.
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