Roh’s Personnel Placements Increasing

The Influence Peddling Investigation Committee of Grand National Party (GNP) revealed on October 15 that Roh’s government has parachuted 140 personnel into 100 different government agency positions so far.

GNP lawmaker Shim Jae-cheol, Secretary of the Committee, held a press conference and announced on the same day, “According to a survey toward political party officials, including all former election candidates, the key lawmakers and party executives of the Uri Party, 140 politicians were related to the personnel affairs by the Roh administration,” and released the names and the respective organizations.

Types of personnel management-

According to the data released by the GNP, personnel management can be divided into five main different types. In the first place were the 34 politicians who have been rewarded within the ruling Uri Party. 32 officials were the preferred from Cheong Wa Dae, 32 officials of the 2002 presidential election campaign committee were appointed in return for showing gratitude, 30 defeaters of the 17th general election and the May 31 local election were appointed in order to counsel them, and 12 were Roh’s close aides.

Uri Party Policy Planning Committee’s vice chairman Song In-hoi was nominated as the President of Korea Electrical Safety Corporation in June 2004 and Uri Party official Kang Yeong-chu was parachuted into the auditor post at the Korea Tourism Organization.

Presidential secretaries were also included, such as the former presidential secretary Kim Nam-su who has been appointed to the auditor post at Korea Electrical Safety Corporation, and another former presidential secretary Kim Gyeong-hyeop, now serving as the auditor of Human Resources Development Service of Korea.

Controversial scandal issues raised by GNP-

GNP selected the Korea Gas Safety Corporation as an example of the personnel affairs uproar. This is because key lawmakers of Uri Party were designated to president, auditor and board member posts. GNP also named some examples of the “presidential secretaries’ intervention” including the case with the former Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Yoo Jin-ryong, who resigned from the government service as he was requested to parachute the vice president of Arirang TV and the auditor of Korea Exchange from some presidential secretaries.

mhpark@donga.com