CEOs of Public Corporations Tender Resignations

Yoon Jang-bae and Park Soon-kyung, CEO and auditor of the Korea Agro-Fisheries Trade Corporation, an affiliate of the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, tendered their resignations on Friday. A large number of the heads of public corporations and institutions appointed under the Roh Moo-hyun administration, have recently announced their intention to resign.

However, it has yet to be decided whether to accept Yoon and Park’s resignations.

Yoon is a bureaucrat who served as public relations officer and director of international agriculture at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. He was appointed the CEO of the Korea Agro-Fisheries Trade Corporation in November 2007, when he was President Roh’s secretary for farming and fishery.

Park is a high school alumnus of President Roh. Both went to Busan Commercial High School. Park served as the director of Taihan Textile and the CEO of Dong Bang Textile and Mart. He was appointed as the auditor of the corporation last December.

Lim Soo-jin, CEO of the Korea Rural Community and Agriculture Corporation, another affiliate of the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, is also reportedly considering tendering his resignation. Lim, a member of the now defunct Uri Party, was appointed in March 2007. He served as the mayor of Jinan, North Jeolla Province.

Lee Woo-jae, CEO of the Korea Racing Authority (KRA), is expectedly to be replaced once his term ends Saturday. He served as a second-term lawmaker and switched from the Grand National Party to the Uri Party. The KRA has internally decided to select its new CEO thorough public recruitment.

swon@donga.com