Foreign firms brace for parliamentary audit

Chiefs of Korean operations of Google, Meta, Apple, TikTok approved as witnesses

The National Assembly is set for its annual parliamentary audit, which starts this week and is expected to last for nearly a month, with leaders of foreign firms' South Korean operations already approved as witnesses.

Those representing the Korean units of foreign-backed companies such as Google, Meta, Apple, Bytedance, Coupang, X and Telegram have gained parliamentary approval as witnesses in audits of standing parliamentary committees' state inspections throughout the month.

Google Korea managing director Yoon Koo has been approved as a witness in three parliamentary committees so far.

The Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee requested that Yoon appear over Google's alleged anticompetitive practices through its app market dominance in South Korea.

Yoon has also been scheduled to appear at the National Policy Committee on Oct. 13 over alleged leaks of digital sex crime victims' personal information as they requested Google's removal of intimate videos illegally filmed and posted online. The Finance, Economy, Planning and Budget Committee has approved Yoon to speak about Google Korea's alleged tax evasion.

Meta Korea representatives were also asked to appear before the parliament. The Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee will question Meta Korea managing director Kim Jin-ah over a personal data leak on Tuesday.

The Education Committee on Wednesday is to question another Meta Korea representative, Heo Ouk, over its measures amid the growing influence of the social media platform in no-rules street fights in South Korea.

Bytedance's TikTok Korea head of operations Jung Jae-hoon has also been called on to appear alongside Heo over the same issue of no-rules street fights.

Shin Chang-seob, country director at X Korea, along with Telegram's South Korean operations head Oh Yeon-joo, are to appear at the Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee's audit on Oct. 12 with their role in curbing the spread of illegal information such as narcotics-related information in focus.

Apple Korea President Mark Lee will also appear on Oct. 12 over the company's role in Apple devices' exclusion of South Korean users from its precise GPS location features, as well as alleged app market dominance and tax evasion.

Coupang Chief Information Security Officer Brett Matthes is set to appear Tuesday over the e-commerce giant's massive consumer data leak late last year.

South Korean business magnates, such as Korean Air Lines Chief Executive Officer Cho Won-tae and Hanwha Group Vice Chair Kim Dong-kwan, are also among the witnesses being called on for this year's parliamentary audit.

Those approved as witnesses may choose not to appear at the audit with the written submission of their reasons for nonappearance while abiding by the Act on Testimony and Appraisal before the National Assembly.

Among high-profile figures, Supreme Court Chief Justice Jo Hee-de has been selected as a witness without the main opposition People Power Party's approval. Jo has already submitted his document not to appear, according to the ruling Democratic Party of Korea.

Meanwhile, former Cheong Wa Dae policy director Kim Yong-beom, who is alleged to have played a role in Korea's troubled introduction of single-stock leveraged ETFs, was not adopted as a witness due to the Democratic Party's objection.