BYD, Tesla Korea Chiefs Called to Testify at Parliamentary Audit

The National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee has designated the heads of BYD Korea and Tesla Korea as witnesses for this year's parliamentary audit. Issues facing the auto industry — from Chinese electric-vehicle makers' consumer policies in Korea to the safety of Tesla's driver-assistance systems — are expected to come under scrutiny.

The committee held a plenary session on the 30th and approved the 2026 audit plan along with motions requiring witnesses and reference witnesses to appear.

Ding Hai-miao, head of BYD Korea, and Cho In-chul, head of BYD Korea's passenger vehicle division, were designated as witnesses to examine issues related to automotive consumer policy. Questions are expected to cover consumer protection and after-sales service for BYD vehicles sold in the domestic market.

Suh Young-deuk, head of Tesla Korea, was also named on the witness list. Safety issues involving the company's driver-assistance systems are the main focus. Lawmakers plan to examine the company's management and response systems regarding safety risks that may arise when drivers use Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature. Choi Young-seok, chairman of the automotive consumer committee at the Consumer Sovereignty Civic Council, will also attend the audit as a reference witness.

The disappearance of regional hub carriers following the merger of three low-cost carriers (LCCs) — Air Busan, Jin Air and Air Seoul — will also be taken up at the audit. The committee designated Lee Bong-hee, executive director at Korea Development Bank, Choi Jung-ho, vice president of Korean Air, and Suh Sang-hoon, head of Asiana Airlines' strategic planning division, as witnesses.

They are expected to face questions about the elimination of Air Busan's brand and corporate entity in the launch of the merged LCC, and the impact of the merger on the regional aviation industry. Discussions surrounding Air Busan are tied to air transport networks in Busan and the Yeongnam region as well as the broader issue of regional hub carriers.

Rep. Kim Mi-ae of the People Power Party called for adding Cho Won-tae, chairman of Hanjin Group, and Park Sang-jin, chairman of Korea Development Bank, as witnesses. "Air Busan is a regional carrier built up together by Busan residents and local businesses, so the headquarters, core organization and aircraft operation plans of the merged LCC are directly linked to balanced regional development," she said. "Hanjin Group Chairman Cho Won-tae and others must be summoned as witnesses to confirm whether the promises made by Korea Development Bank and the government during the merger process are being properly kept."

Opposition lawmakers also pressed for the appearance of Kim Yong-beom, former head of the presidential policy office, who led the Lee Jae-myung administration's housing policy. "Housing problems, including rising jeonse (a lump-sum deposit lease) and monthly rents caused by reduced supply, are the biggest livelihood issue right now," said Rep. Yoo Sang-bum of the People Power Party. "Without the former policy chief who led the government's housing policy, it is difficult to properly examine the policy outcomes and causes of failure over the past year." He added that Kim must be designated as a witness to determine where responsibility lies for the housing policy and why it failed.

Additional witness requests were also raised over construction firms' safety and building-defect problems. Rep. Chung Il-young of the Democratic Party argued that Kim Young-sik, chief executive of SK Ecoplant, and Song Chi-young, chief executive of POSCO E&C, should be added. Rep. Mo Kyoung-jong of the Democratic Party requested that the head of Jeil Construction be included on the list.

Rep. Kim Nam-keun of the Democratic Party raised the need to designate witnesses to address fire safety at Coupang logistics centers and industrial accidents involving workers. The aim is to examine repeated casualties from warehouse fires and working conditions, as well as the reasons for the company's absence from a social agreement on delivery drivers' working hours.

The committee will hold further discussions on individuals and companies not included in the witness list announced that day. "The witnesses approved today are those required to appear on Oct. 15," said Yoo Eui-dong, chairman of the committee. "Witnesses after that will be decided at the next meeting following consultations among the party floor negotiators."