By Jung Sung-ki
The governing Grand National Party (GNP) called on President Lee Myung-bak’s nominee for chief state auditor to withdraw his bid, Monday, amid allegations about his controversial wealth accumulation while working at a law firm.
The presidential office, however, expressed regret over the GNP’s demand, sparking possible discord between the two parties that political analysts view could accelerate President Lee Myung-bak’s lame duck status.
Chung Tong-ki, a former senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, has been in the cross fire by opposition parties in recent weeks over the fact that he was paid a salary of nearly 700 million won from the law firm, Barun Law, in a period of just seven months between 2007 and 2008.
Before joining the law firm, Chung served as deputy secretary general of the Seoul Supreme Prosecutors’ Office. The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) claims Chung was apparently granted the privileges because of his former post.
GNP chairman Rep. Ahn Sang-soo said in a meeting of senior lawmakers, “After studying public opinion (on Chung’s nomination) over the weekend, we’ve judged that Chung is not fit for the chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection.”
“Chung should make the decision for himself, and that’s the way of satisfying the public demands and that’s a reflection of the opinion of the people and the President,” said Ahn.
Hong Sang-pyo, senior Cheong Wa Dae secretary for public affairs, was blunt about Ahn’s remarks.
“The procedure and method taken by the ruling party are very regrettable,” Hong said. “It’s premarture for Cheong Wa Dae to talk about whether to accept the party’s demand or not.”
Rep. Seo Byung-soo, a member of the GNP’s supreme council, said hiring a former presidential aide as the chief state auditor is problematic, since the BAI must act independently and not under political influence.
“Giving privileges to a retired public official is definitely incorrect and such practice runs counter to the President’s calls for a fair society,” Seo noted.
Rep. Hong Joon-pyo also voiced concern.
“The GNP should deal with any problem squarely. By doing so, our party can win the people’s trust in the upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections,” he said.
Before joining President Lee Myung-bak’s power transition team in December 2007, Chung served as deputy prosecutor general at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office.
He concurrently worked with Barun Law, while serving as a member of the transition team. Chung then served as senior presidential secretary for civil affairs between 2008 and 2009.
According to documents submitted by Chung to the National Assembly, he had received a monthly salary of about 100 million won while working for Barun for seven months from November 2007.
In particular, Chung’s salary more than doubled after he began to serve as a chief legal advisor for Lee’s presidential transition team from December 2007.
Chung insisted that his salary was legitimate and that he paid more than a third of his salary in taxes.
His parliamentary confirmation hearing is scheduled for Jan. 19 following the hearings for other minister-designates.
1 | Koreans stunned by spike in heating costs |
![[INTERVIEW] Partnerships with Korean companies help Delta Air Lines' post-pandemic recovery](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/892c5f8b83fc45018380807ff3c3d42b.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
