On Thursday, September 11, the National Assembly Research Service (NARS, headed by Chief Lee Kwan-hoo) held a press briefing and an explanatory session for parliamentary aides at Seminar Room 3 of the National Assembly Members’ Office Building, where it released the report 2025 National Assembly Audit Issue Analysis: Questions the Government Must Answer. The report identifies 300 issues across 19 Standing Committees and six policy sectors—economy, industry, society, culture, politics, and administration—highlighting the key policy challenges and problems that must be addressed in this year’s audit.

At the briefing, Chief Lee explained the purpose behind the restructured report, while Kim Jong-hoon, Director General of the Economic and Industrial Research Office, presented the main issues and critical questions for each policy sector. The subsequent session for parliamentary aides featured presentations and discussions on major issues in the political, economic, and social fields.

This year’s report identifies four core issues for the audit: Korea–U.S. cooperation in shipbuilding and maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) (political and administrative sector); urban ground subsidence countermeasures (economic and industrial sector); the SK Telecom hacking incident (social and cultural sector); and expansion of teacher workforce in response to the full implementation of the high school credit system (social and cultural sector).

In particular, the report notes the growing participation of Korean firms in the U.S. Navy’s MRO projects, while also pointing out the persistence of urban ground subsidence accidents and the limited effectiveness of government responses. The report highlights the insufficient countermeasures to communication network security threats in light of the SK Telecom hacking case, and as well analyzes the teacher shortage emerging alongside the rollout of the high school credit system.

The report’s notable features include: 1) the reduction of the number of issues from approximately 600 to 300 issues, focusing on qualitative analysis; 2) the introduction of—for the first time—a “sample question” format based on statistics and case studies; 3) the addition of a list of reference materials that lawmakers may request from the executive branch; and 4) the identification of 51 “critical questions” to be raised during the audit.

Chief Lee stated, “Through better questions, we sought to help ensure that the audit meets the expectations of the public. The NARS will continue to fulfill its mission by taking the people’s perspective, looking at the world through their eyes, and pursuing innovation without hesitation.”