The Board of Audit and Inspection of Korea announced on the 6th that the decision by the Ministry of Veterans Affairs to exclude Governor Jo Moon-ki from the selection for this year's 'Independence Activist of the Month' was an improper administrative procedure. The Ministry had initially shortlisted Governor Jo, along with two others, for their roles in the 1945 bombing of the Bumin Hall, yet only the other two activists were ultimately selected. The Board has instructed the Ministry to reconsider and present Governor Jo as a candidate for further review.

The selection process was reportedly influenced by the previous government's theme for independence activists, which included a focus on youth and their contributions to independence movements. The Ministry's reasoning for excluding Governor Jo was tied to concerns over his post-liberation imprisonment and his perceived socialist activities, which might provoke societal controversy. The Board asserted that the criteria for selecting independence activists should focus on ties to pro-Japanese collaborators or activities related to the North Korean regime, and not on the individual's past post-liberation legal issues.

Additionally, the investigation revealed that the Ministry's team had conducted thorough reviews of the candidates' backgrounds, including assessing Governor Jo's history of socialist involvement. Although he was noted not to have links with North Korea or long-term engagement in socialist movements, the presence of socialist tendencies in his profile led to his exclusion from the candidate list. The Ministry has since indicated that it would be possible to present Governor Jo to the selection committee for review, creating a path for reassessing his candidacy.