Political parties on Monday geared up for the interpellation session running from Tuesday to Friday, each struggling to take the initiative in key agenda items ahead of the parliamentary audit slated for next week.

For the opposition camp -- The Minjoo Party of Korea and People’s Party -- the four-day session will serve as an opportunity to question the Park Geun-hye administration’s capacity and competence in the face of economic challenges and national security threats.

The ruling conservative Saenuri Party, on the other hand, is vowing to place all focus on the people’s livelihoods, blaming the opposition circles for holding back the government’s economic revitalization plans. It is also expected to accentuate the imminent security threats upon North Korea’s latest nuclear test to impart stronger control of state affairs to the Park administration.

“During the Chuseok holidays, the public has increasingly voiced out complaints against the government’s faulty administration over the past 3 1/2 years,” said the Minjoo Party’s vice floor leader Rep. Park Wan-joo at a party meeting.

The leading opposition party thus vowed to clarify the administration’s liability in the aggravation of the domestic economy, especially over the fall of the shipbuilding and shipping industries.

It is also set to blast upon the government for lacking a diplomatic paradigm in the face of North Korea’s repeated ballistic missile launches and the strongest-yet nuclear test on Sept. 9.

Spearheading the questions in the domestic politics sector will be Rep. Cho Eung-cheon, recognized for his aggressive stance against ruling powers.

Cho, who formerly served as presidential secretary for civil service discipline under President Park in 2013-2014, turned his back on the Blue House after he leaked internal documents. He is also expected to press the presidential office to speak out on Woo Byung-woo, a disgraced senior presidential aide who for months has been caught up in bribery scandals.

“Saenuri will focus on issues concerning the people’s daily livelihoods and also address national security, an issue of growing importance since North Korea’s fifth nuclear test,” said the party’s vice floor leader Rep. Kim Do-eup.

Leading the party’s talks in the foreign affairs session will be Rep. Lee Cheol-woo, a third-termer and chairman of the parliamentary intelligence committee.

Lee, a former senior official at the National Intelligence Service, is expected to reiterate the party’s strong antipathy toward the reclusive neighbor state’s military aggressions and to advocate the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, an advanced US anti-missile battery to be deployed here.

The opposition camp, however, is not likely to address the THAAD issue directly during this week’s questioning sessions.

“We will call the government to account for raising diplomatic tensions in the Northeast Asian region with the THAAD announcement, rather than expressing disapproval over the deployment itself,” said a Minjoo Party official who refused to be named.

The party’s “toned-down” response is seen as reflecting the public’s increased sense of crisis over national security, following the North’s fifth nuclear test on Sept. 9.

The People’s Party is set to take the lead in the social affairs sector, with former judge and lawyer Rep. Cho Bae-sook calling for the establishment of an independent agency dedicated to the probe of high-ranking officials’ corruption cases.

The interpellation, the first to take place since the regular parliamentary session kicked off earlier this month, will cover four sectors -- domestic politics, foreign affairs, economy and social affairs.

Questioners will consist of five lawmakers from the Saenuri Party, another five from the Minjoo Party, two from the runner-up opposition People’s Party and one not affiliated with a parliamentary bargaining unit. The latter would involve either a member of the progressive minority Justice Party or an independent lawmaker.

By Bae Hyun-jung (tellme@heraldcorp.com)