People Power Party Floor Leader Jeong Jeom-sik (left) and independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon shake hands at a plenary session of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee on Aug. 11. [Yonhap]
People Power Party Floor Leader Jeong Jeom-sik (left) and independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon shake hands at a plenary session of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee on Aug. 11. [Yonhap]

The National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee has drawn attention with its team assignments for overseas field audits ahead of the October national audit, with ruling and opposition lawmakers who have clashed over political issues finding themselves grouped together.

According to the National Assembly and political circles Thursday, the committee will split into three teams — the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific groups — to conduct on-site inspections of overseas diplomatic missions during the national audit running from Oct. 6 to Oct. 23.

The Americas team, led by Committee Chair Song Seok-jun of the People Power Party, will include Democratic Party members Jung Chung-rae, a former party leader, senior spokesperson Park Seong-jun and lawmaker Maeng Seong-gyu. From the People Power Party, the team includes Ko Dong-jin, a close ally of Han and former Samsung Electronics president, and Kim Geon, a former head of the Foreign Ministry's Korean Peninsula Peace Negotiations Bureau. Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon will also join the group.

Jung and Han — who served as justice minister under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration — have traded sharp exchanges until recently.

The Europe team, headed by Democratic Party lawmaker Hong Gi-won, the committee's ruling-party floor manager, includes Democratic Party Secretary-General Han Jeong-ae, People Power Party members such as Kwon Yeong-se, a former minister of unification, and Ahn Cheol-soo, and Rebuilding Korea Party Floor Leader Kim Jun-hyeong, who served as president of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy under the Moon Jae-in administration.

The Asia-Pacific team is led by People Power Party lawmaker Kim Dae-sik, the committee's opposition-side floor manager, and includes Democratic Party member Woo Won-shik, a former National Assembly speaker, and People Power Party Floor Leader Jeong Jeom-sik. A party official said the arrangement was intended to allow Jeong to respond quickly to any urgent domestic developments that might arise while he is abroad on the overseas mission inspections.


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