People Power Party walks out demanding Samsung and SK witnesses on Honam chip project, leaving climate-labor committee's morning audit without questioning

SEOUL

Members of the People Power Party on the National Assembly's Climate, Energy, Environment and Labor Committee walked out of a parliamentary audit on October 19. They left after their demand to call Samsung Electronics and SK executives as witnesses, to examine the Honam semiconductor project, was not accepted. The day's audit, held at the National Assembly, covered the High-Level Radioactive Waste Management Committee and energy-related agencies under the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment. The morning session ended without any questions from lawmakers, and the audit resumed at 2 p.m. The sequence of events was captured in the meeting video broadcast live by the National Assembly Television (NATV).

The People Power Party demanded Samsung and SK officials appear, saying the deadline for adopting witnesses was that day

The audit opened with a declaration by committee chairman Kim Jung-ho. The chairman said the audit was being held under Article 61 of the Constitution, Article 127 of the National Assembly Act and the Act on the Inspection and Investigation of State Administration. Agency witnesses swore under the Act on Testimony and Appraisal at the National Assembly that they would testify truthfully according to their conscience. The chairman noted that refusing to take the oath without a justifiable reason, or giving false testimony, could lead to a criminal complaint. Kim Dong-cheol, president of Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO), Kim Hoe-cheon, president of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, and Lee Jung-bok, president of Korea Western Power, gave greetings and work reports. The remaining agencies submitted their reports in writing. Once the reports were finished, points of order followed.

The first speaker was Rep. Lee Cheol-gyu of the People Power Party. Lee said the two parties' floor secretaries on the committee had discussed the witness issue but had not concluded by that morning. He said his party had requested three witnesses, including the chairmen of Samsung Electronics and SK and the chief executive of an SK second-tier subsidiary. Lee said data centers were being built and courted across the country, and that preventing overinvestment and side effects was the job of the National Assembly.

Rep. Lee Jong-bae of the People Power Party stressed the deadline. "Today is practically D-Day. It is the deadline," he said. Lee said he did not understand why Democratic Party lawmakers were not actively cooperating on bringing the heads of conglomerates in as witnesses. If the group chairmen could not appear, he asked, the committee should at least summon people who could answer responsibly.

Rep. Kim Wi-sang of the People Power Party said he had requested on October 13, during the audit of the Ministry of Employment and Labor, that Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won be adopted as witnesses. Kim said the chairman and the ruling party were responsible for the lack of a decision. Given the time left before the comprehensive audit on October 26, he said, that day was effectively the last chance. Kim said the audit needed to ask about the investment size and schedule of the Honam semiconductor project, how power and water would be secured and what plans existed for benefit-sharing with the region.

The deadline has a basis in law. Article 5(5) of the Act on Testimony and Appraisal at the National Assembly provides that a summons "shall be served no later than seven days before the date on which the report or submission of documents is requested or the date on which the witness is requested to appear." Under paragraph 1 of the same article, the summons is issued by the committee chairman. Chairman Kim Jung-ho also said of the witness issue that day, "Notice has to be given a week in advance." The chairman said the two floor secretaries were continuing talks but had not narrowed their differences.

The People Power Party argued that if not group chairmen, at least division-level executives in charge should appear

The People Power Party also offered a scaled-back proposal. Rep. Na Kyung-won said her party had already said executives at the working level would be acceptable and asked that they be adopted without fail. Taking the floor again, Na said, "We are absolutely not insisting on Chairman Lee Jae-yong or Chairman Chey Tae-won." She explained that the aim was to have responsible division heads appear so the committee could check, point by point, whether power, water and land were being prepared smoothly.

Na said the Democratic Party was mounting an "iron-wall defense" on the witness issue. She said she suspected that the ruling party leadership or the presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae, had instructed members not to discuss the matter. Whether such an instruction was given is Na's claim. Na said that, by the People Power Party's own review, power and water were fundamentally insufficient. That, too, is Na's claim. She said that if factories were built but could not operate, the project could become a form of "hope torture" for residents of the Honam region.

Rep. Kim So-hee of the People Power Party said she had asked the minister of climate, energy and environment and Korea Water Resources Corp. about power and water for the Honam semiconductor project but had heard only that they would do their best. Kim said a process was needed to cross-check with the companies what more was required, and asked that at least working-level officials be called. She proposed a brief recess for discussion if no agreement could be reached.

Witnesses related to industrial accidents were also demanded. Rep. Yun Jae-ok of the People Power Party said 13 people had died in three accidents over eight years at Hanwha Aerospace. Yun said that since the Serious Accidents Punishment Act took effect, 23 people had died in 19 accidents at Hanwha affiliates. The accident and death tallies are figures Yun presented. Yun said that if Hanwha Group Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan could not be adopted as a witness, "I think there is no reason for our committee, which is responsible for industrial safety, to exist."

The Democratic Party countered that questions on power and water could be put to the state firms present and the government

Rep. Kim Ju-young of the Democratic Party said the parties to be asked about power and water were already present. Kim noted that the president of Korea Water Resources Corp. had appeared at the previous audit, and that the KEPCO president and the heads of power generation companies were present that day. Kim said companies planning to invest could not give precise answers on the issue. He added that, by convention, adopting witnesses is difficult unless the two parties' floor secretaries agree.

Rep. Shin Jeong-hoon of the Democratic Party said the decision-making behind the Honam semiconductor project could be fully scrutinized by questioning the government. Shin said demands to summon conglomerate heads looked like the opposition, not the government, twisting companies' arms. He stressed that supplying power and water was the government's responsibility and a matter to press the government and KEPCO on. At this point Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon of the People Power Party interjected, voices were raised, and the chairman asked members to refrain from speaking out of turn.

Rep. Ahn Ho-young of the Democratic Party said he questioned whether it was the National Assembly's role to summon and interrogate every individual company over its investment decisions. Ahn said the power and water needed for corporate investment were an infrastructure issue for the state to prepare, and could be put to the government, KEPCO and Korea Water Resources Corp. Rep. Eo Gi-gu of the Democratic Party said the committee lost entire mornings without questioning every time, and asked that questioning begin while the floor secretaries continued their talks.

Members from non-negotiating groups criticized both major parties

Rep. Seo Wang-jin of the Rebuilding Korea Party said the confrontation between the two parties was pushing issues that needed scrutiny to the back burner. Seo first expressed regret over the Democratic Party's passive stance. He said artificial intelligence (AI) data centers and semiconductor clusters had a major impact on national power supply and demand, and that if witnesses were difficult, executives should at least be adopted as unsworn testifiers. Seo also criticized the People Power Party for focusing only on a political fight over whether companies' investment decisions resulted from government pressure. He said the management responsibility of Chairman Chung Mong-won over a fatal serious accident at Mando, along with allegations of illegal dispatch labor, should also be dealt with in the audit, and asked why he had not been adopted as a witness.

Rep. Jeong Hye-kyung of the Progressive Party said the audit should not be disrupted by political offensives and argued that it should proceed as planned.

The morning audit was suspended without questioning, and the committee voted for compulsory appearance orders

The chairman said he would leave the talks to the floor secretaries and begin one-on-one questioning. Earlier, the People Power Party's floor secretary on the committee had said in his remarks that there was no disagreement between the parties over witnesses related to industrial accidents and proposed agreeing on those first. He said a proposal to summon even division-level executives to look into the Honam semiconductor project should be acceptable to the ruling party as well. When the chairman proposed starting questioning, the floor secretary objected. He said the committee had never pushed ahead with a meeting unilaterally, even when voices were raised. He said it would not be too late to settle the witness issue over the lunch break and proceed with the audit afterward. Amid this exchange, People Power Party members left the room.