Clash over summoning Lee Jae-yong and Choi Tae-won as parliamentary audit witnesses: “Arm-twisting businesses” vs. “Political warfare tool”

[Financial News]  The ruling and opposition parties clashed on the 13th over whether to summon business leaders as witnesses in connection with the “Honam Semiconductor Mega Project” during the National Assembly’s Climate, Energy, Environment and Labor Committee’s audit of the Ministry of Employment and Labor. The People Power Party argued that allegations of improper government intervention in investment should be examined, while the Democratic Party of Korea countered that this was a political offensive.
At that day’s audit, People Power Party lawmaker Na Kyung-won said, “I once again call for SK Group Chairman Choi Tae-won and Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong to be summoned as witnesses,” and argued, “If companies were unable to make their own decisions in the most important semiconductor industry because of arm-twisting for the ruling party convention, that could burden the Korean economy.”
Na said, “To ensure the Honam mega-project succeeds, we should hear the companies’ positions in detail,” and stressed, “We need to examine closely whether there was arm-twisting and, if not, what support should be provided.”
In response, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Shin Jeong-hoon countered, “They are even claiming that the 800 trillion won investment was announced for the Democratic Party of Korea convention,” adding, “The only way I can interpret summoning Choi Tae-won and Lee Jae-yong as witnesses is that they intend to use them as tools in political strife.”
Shin asked rhetorically, “The Chun Doo-hwan administration twisted companies’ arms, as did the Park Chung-hee and Roh Tae-woo administrations. When did a Democratic Party administration ever twist companies’ arms?”
The ruling and opposition parties nevertheless agreed on the need to summon businesspeople as witnesses on industrial accidents and labor issues. Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Lee Yong-woo cited allegations of unfair labor practices at Hanwha Ocean and issues involving night work and industrial accidents at Coupang, among others, and urged the parties to reach an agreement on summoning witnesses promptly.
People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Jae-ok also targeted Hanwha Group, saying, “Someone with responsibility in the group must appear before the National Assembly and explain to the public how it will address this issue going forward.”


[email protected] Kim Kyung-min Reporter