On the 21st, the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee issued an attendance order for Kim Kun-hee and her mother, Choi Eun-soon. During the committee’s comprehensive meeting that morning, the order was put on the agenda and passed under the initiative of the opposition party. The ruling party was entirely against it.
Jeong Cheong-rae, the chairman of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee from the Democratic Party, stated, “Kim and Choi are significant witnesses compared to others” and added, “As the chairman, I had my concerns. The National Assembly has the duty to exercise its authority on behalf of the public.”
Chairman Jeong further explained, “Neither Kim nor Choi submitted any reason for not attending, and there was no information on why they were absent, hence the decision to issue the attendance order.”
The ruling party strongly opposed the decision. Kwak Kyu-taek, a member of the People Power Party, expressed regret about the decision, saying, “We anticipated the attendance order, but it’s truly regrettable to proceed with it during the Prosecutor General’s audit,” and criticized it as potentially being a mere disgrace exercise.
The attendance order will be delivered by National Assembly officials directly to the Yongsan Presidential Office. However, due to security concerns at the Presidential Office, it remains uncertain whether it will actually be delivered.
According to the Act on Testimony and Appraisal at the National Assembly, refusing to comply with an attendance order or intentionally avoiding receipt can lead to charges of contempt of the National Assembly, punishable by up to five years in prison.