[Editorial] Why DJ Repeats Ill Management of Human Resources?

Only two days after having been appointed, Justice Minister Ahn Dong-Soo, who was under pressure of dismissal by the public, was finally discharged from his office as a result of so-call `loyalty document` dispute. Ahn`s record of the shortest term as a minister seems to be a inerasable stain in his individual history as well as the President`s.

As already pointed out, even though the draft was a private memorandum, such utterances of the Justice of Minister as `mountainous royal grace` and `re-reigning the government` clearly illustrated his disqualification as a public servant. Distrust of the high officials in the Ministry of Justice and the Public Prosecutor General Office was also clarified by the fact that they had to conclude the Ahn`s dismissal inevitable.

It is fortunate, however, that the government and Chong Wa Dae, who ignored the loyal-document controversies as a simple incident, now realize its gravity and had to discharge Mr. Ahn. Looking back to the controversies regarding his `loyal document` as well as related perjuries, Ahn`s dismissal is a proper decision.

The failed appointment of the Minister of Justice is originated in the political decision based on the regional balance rather than candidate`s qualification and disposition. Mr. Ahn has failed three times in his campaign for the National Assembly. The Minister of Justice holds the power of personnel management of the Public Prosecutors Office, whose political neutrality is strongly required. Therefore, more discrete human management is necessary. The problems for the new Minister of Justice were brought on by the appointment without previous verification.

The DJ administration has propagandized that the criteria for cabinet restructurings were reformation and qualification. However, the administration`s decisions have never been free from the limitation of coalition government and artificial regional balance in human resource management. Five `problematic ministers,` including Mr. Ahn, resigned their offices in two months under the DJ administration.

The controversies on the Minster of Justice have revealed serious problems of the overall human management system of the ruling party: the change of the Justice Minister for the sake of the Public Prosecutor General, controversial procedures of cabinet nominations, lack of previous verification, among many others. It is reported that some high officials of the ruling party demanded the reprimand of the person who had recommended Mr. Ahn.

The DJ administration has to establish a wide and transparent pool of human resources and also create a system for a thorough verification in advance of the appointment of government officials. The success of the reformation, which DJ has repeatedly emphasized, is solely dependant on the proper human resource management.