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As the second week of South Korea’s National Assembly audit begins, rival parties are gearing up for renewed clashes over Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae and presidential aide Kim Hyun-ji, signaling that political tension will remain high across multiple committees.

According to the National Assembly on Oct. 19, the Legislation and Judiciary Committee will conduct audits this week on courts, prosecutors’ offices, and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials. The schedule includes audits of major courts such as the Seoul High Court and Seoul Central District Court on Oct. 20, followed by the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office and Central District Prosecutors’ Office on Oct. 23, and the Ministry of Government Legislation and the anti-corruption office on Oct. 24.

The committee—already dubbed the “powder keg” of the audit—expects fierce disputes over issues such as the alleged testimony tampering in the “Ssangbangwool North Korea remittance case” and the suspicious death of an official in Yangpyeong. Lawmakers are also set to question the fairness of rulings by Seoul Central District Court Judge Ji Gwi-yeon, who has been accused of receiving entertainment favors.

Tensions from last week’s chaotic on-site audit of the Supreme Court are also expected to linger, after Committee Chair Choo Mi-ae’s decision to proceed despite protests and to restrict some lawmakers’ speaking time. The opposition Democratic Party plans to unveil a judicial reform proposal on Oct. 20, which the ruling People Power Party (PPP) denounces as an attempt to introduce a “fourth appeal system” to overturn President Lee Jae-myung’s ongoing case.

Meanwhile, the National Assembly’s Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee will likely center its audit on Kim Hyun-ji, the presidential secretary for the first lady’s office, with the PPP alleging that Kim interfered in the appointment of the Korea Forest Service chief. The party also insists that Kim appear before multiple committees, including the Steering Committee, which postponed its meeting from Oct. 15 to Oct. 29.

The Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee (commonly known as the “Media Committee”) is also bracing for another round of confrontation. Beginning Oct. 20, lawmakers will visit MBC’s headquarters in Seoul for a field audit, followed by briefings from YTN, TBS, and Yonhap News TV. KBS, EBS, the Broadcasting Culture Foundation, and the Korea Communications Standards Commission will testify on Oct. 23. Questions are expected on the alleged illegal privatization review of YTN and the cover-up surrounding the death of anchor Oh Yoanna.

The committee’s proceedings have already been disrupted by last week’s “profanity text message” spat between Democratic lawmaker Kim Woo-young and PPP’s Park Jung-hoon, and another confrontation appears inevitable.

Audits by the State Affairs Committee and the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee are expected to focus on the government’s recently announced Oct. 15 real estate measures. The PPP is set to question the effectiveness of mortgage lending regulations, while the opposition will highlight alleged manipulation in housing price data during the Oct. 23 audit of the Korea Real Estate Board.

The Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee will hold an on-site audit at the South Korean Embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Oct. 22, with lawmakers expected to raise issues of inadequate consular protection amid a surge in abductions of Korean nationals.

On Oct. 23, the Seoul Metropolitan Government will face scrutiny from the Public Administration and Security Committee over its decision to lift land transaction permit zones. Mayor Oh Se-hoon is scheduled to attend, and lawmakers are expected to press him over the so-called “Myung Tae-kyun Gate” scandal, with the key figure in the case summoned as a witness.