Cheong Wa Dae Influenced the Appointment of KLWC Governor

When an officer from Cheong Wa Dae was appointed as supervisor of the Korea Labor Welfare Corporation (KLWC) under the Ministry of Labor, the labor union of the corporation (union president Kim Se-Hwan) held strikes and stopped office attendance from the 2nd to the 4th.

The appointment created a stir because it came immediately after President Kim Dae-Jung ordered the Cabinet to be fair in appointing public officials on December 29, 2001, and because a third grade officer of the Cheong Wa Dae was appointed as supervisor of the KLWC when it is customary to appoint 2nd grade officers for the post.

According to KLWC, the Ministry of Labor appointed Kim Gil-Sung (43), who had been working for the Office of the Secretary of Civil Affairs in the Cheong Wa Dae, as the supervisor of the KLWC from January 1st. The Ministry of Labor said, "Cheong Wa Dae agreed to the appointment. We do not know his personal profile, but he seems to have a fine personality."

About the appointment, the union of KLWC put on a strike in front of the main gate, blocking Mr. Kim`s attendance from the 2nd, the first workday of 2002, to the 4th. The strike ended about noon when the KLWC announced, "KLWC will consult the Labor Union before hand for the next official appointments."

Mr. Kim, the new supervisor, is from Gochang in Northern Chollado, and worked for the organization division chief and president of the Union of Democratic Youths, the Kyonggi province council afterwards, and then for the Cheong Wa Dae since 1998 in the Office of the Secretary of State, and the affiliated office for civil affairs.

The KLWC labor union said, "We do not oppose the appointment of a competent person from the outside. We just cannot accept a person whose ability has not been proven to take charge as the supervisor and fill the number 2 post of the KLWC without any consultation."

Intellectuals and NGOs are expressing concerns about later appointments of officials after seeing an officer of the Cheong Wa Dae being appointed as supervisor of a government subsidiary company only 3 days after President Kim instructed the cabinet to be fair in appointing public officials.

Yeom Jae-Ho, professor at Korea University (administration) criticized the affair saying, "There will be many people whom the current government should take extra care in appointing later on. This particular appointment does not desecrate the fairness of the public official appointment policy, but the process of appointment has become more serious now."

President Kim ordered the cabinet on December 29, 2001, saying "Regionalism, school ties, and solicitations should be excluded when public officials are appointed. The appointment of division chiefs and department heads should be fair, following the criteria of ability, reform and integrity."

Jin Lee leej@donga.com