[Opinion] About Nepotism

Yi Dynasty is known for its harsh punishments for relatives or associates of royal family who were involved in corruptions. The king was immediately informed of any irregularities involving his kindred, and felony charges were filed.

In the era of King Sungjong, a relative to the queen named Kim Jung-kwang was sentenced to 100 times of club beating after taking bribes, and later deprived of his yangban, or nobleman, status and became a servant. Names of corrupted officers, including those related to the king, were regularly made public, and the descendents of those in the list were banned from holding public offices.

In particular, close relatives of the king were subject to harsher punishments, a testament to our ancestors’ determination to root out corruptions at the upper level.

Besides, relatives and associates were further excluded from politics. Whether they were close relatives or sons-in-law, the king shut them down from the decision-making process despite their official titles. As such, nepotism was regarded as a root cause of disorder even at that time.

In the latter half of Yi Dynasty, however, relatives began to dominate the court. In particular, after King Gojong ascended to the throne, queen’s relatives took the helm. Daewongun, Gojong’s father, tried to keep them in check, but he could prevent the kingdom from falling in pieces.

The modern history has not been free from nepotism, either. Former dictator Jun Doo-hwan watched his brothers and cousins sent to jail at the end of his term. A daughter of former president Roh Tae-woo was accused of smuggling out a large amount of foreign currencies, while second son of Kim Young-sam was arrested for influence peddling.

Having witnessed corruptions at the top level, Kim Dae-jung made a pledge to people at a town hall meeting held in July 1998 right after his inauguration, “I will take care of my children and associates myself. I will watch them closely so that nothing happens.”

Despite his pledge, however, his two sons and nephew-in-law have been charged with bribe taking and irregularities. It is deplorable that the president who had assured people in such a confident manner already made apologies to the people a couple of times.

‘Jongchin-bu’ was a government agency during Yi Dynasty that closely watched royal family and their relatives for any wrongdoings. The Kim government is reportedly seeking ways to root out corruptions at the top level. As a part of effort, it is considering forming a taskforce team, which will be a present day ‘Jongchin-bu.’

The mere existence of such an investigational body will not solve the problem, however, since what counts most is the president’s will to clean up the mess.

bbchoi@donga.com