0
Political broker Myung Tae-kyun (left) passes by Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon after testifying during the National Assembly’s audit of Seoul City at City Hall on October 23. / Photo by Chung Jae-hoon

A tense scene unfolded at Seoul City Hall on October 23, as Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and political broker Myung Tae-kyun came face-to-face during a parliamentary audit by the National Assembly’s Public Administration and Security Committee.

Myung, a key figure in the alleged illegal opinion poll and payment scandal surrounding the mayor, appeared as a witness — shouting accusations and insults, while Oh largely declined to respond and avoided even looking in his direction.

Upon arriving at the session, Myung told reporters, “You’ll see whether Mayor Oh is the liar or I am,” and continued to shout “liar” inside the chamber.

Lawmakers from the ruling People Power Party (PPP) denounced the opposition for summoning Myung — currently under investigation and trial — to the audit, calling it “political theater” and “an abuse of legislative oversight amounting to interference with an ongoing investigation.”

Although Myung said he would limit his remarks ahead of a cross-examination scheduled with Oh at the special counsel’s office on November 8, he still fired sharp barbs at the mayor, frequently raising his voice and showing visible irritation during questioning.

Mayor Oh maintained restraint, saying, “I had strongly requested a confrontation during the prosecution’s inquiry in May, but it was denied. The special counsel has now accepted it. I have a lot to clarify during that session, and I see no reason to expose anything here.”

When questioned by Democratic Party lawmaker Chae Hyun-il, Oh firmly stated, “I have never received any help from that man (Myung Tae-kyun).”

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party lawmakers criticized the Seoul city government’s “Hangang Bus” project. Rep. Yoon Kun-young said, “It should be called a public cruise ship, not a river bus — it has lost all value as a means of transportation.”

The PPP, in turn, took aim at the Lee Jae-myung administration’s real estate policies. Rep. Seo Beom-soo said, “President Lee once promised not to manipulate the housing market with taxes, yet reversed his stance only four months into his term. This policy targets the Seoul metropolitan area and will mainly hurt ordinary citizens and young people, while sparing the elites and policymakers.”

At the Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee audit, Democratic lawmakers pressed KBS President Park Jang-beom — appointed under the previous Yoon Suk-yeol administration — over alleged political bias and poor management.

Rep. Lee Jeong-heon of the Democratic Party charged, “Yoon choked KBS by controlling its funding and license fees, then parachuted in a compliant president. Under your leadership, we see the worst management, labor relations, and disregard for fair broadcasting standards.”

The PPP fired back, questioning Committee Chair Choi Min-hee over allegations involving her child’s wedding and the expulsion of an MBC news director from a previous audit session. Rep. Kim Jang-gyeom cited former Broadcasting Commission Chair Lee Jin-sook’s statement, saying, “Chair Choi’s denial doesn’t align with testimony. She cries about ‘studying quantum mechanics,’ yet seems to be doing something entirely different behind the scenes.”