The opposition-controlled National Assembly on Thursday voted to impeach the chief of the state auditor and three top prosecutors over issues related to the relocation of the presidential office and scandals surrounding first lady Kim Keon Hee.

The motion was against Board of Audit and Inspection Chair Choe Jae-hae, Lee Chang-soo, chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office, and two of Lee's deputies -- Cho Sang-won and Choi Jae-hun.

The motions passed over 188-4 votes against Choe -- marking the first time the head of the state audit agency to be impeached by parliament, 185-3 against Lee, 187-4 against Cho and 186-4 against Choi, while members of the ruling People Power Party boycotted the vote.

All four members will be suspended from their duties until the Constitutional Court rules whether to uphold their impeachment.

Cho Eun-seok, one of the six-member audit committee, will temporarily take over the responsibilities of the position until a permanent replacement is determined. First Chief Prosecutor Park Seung-hwan will fill the vacuum as an acting leader.

Amid worsening political turmoil, the Democratic Party has sought Choe's impeachment, citing the state audit agency's "poor review" of alleged irregularities surrounding the relocation of the presidential office in 2022. The main opposition has also pointed to Choe's refusal to comply with a parliamentary request to submit documents related to the audit.

The country's top prosecutors, on the other hand, are accused of failing to indict the first lady for her alleged involvement in a high-profile stock manipulation scandal involving listed imported car distributor Deutsche Motors.

But their indictments have been met by claims they are politically motivated, in part because prosecutors Lee and Cho both led investigations into Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung.

The two had led investigations into bribery allegations against the Democratic Party leader related to his role as the head of Seongnam FC when they served at the Seongnam Branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office.

Later in the day, the prosecution issued a statement saying that the decision would numb judicial operations.

"The abuse of impeachment power has led to the collapse of the leadership structure at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office that could disrupt ongoing investigations and paralyze investigations into crimes linked to people's livelihood, such as digital sex crimes and drugs," it said.

Choe also expressed deep regret over the push to impeach him, calling it a decision that has "severely damaged the independence of the BAI."

"I hope that the wisdom of the audit commissioners and the staff's passion will ensure that there are no disruptions in carrying out the duties," he said.