ED Unceasing cronyism allegations
Hiring in presidential office must be fair and transparent
The presidential office is struggling with a string of controversies over personnel affairs. The latest controversy surrounds an administrative official working in the office of the senior presidential secretary for social policy who is alleged to have been hired thanks to personal connections.
The father of the ninth-grade civil servant, surnamed Woo, is the CEO of a telecom equipment company in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, who has had a long-standing relationship with President Yoon Suk-yeol. Furthermore, Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, the acting chairman and floor leader of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), admitted to having recommended him to the presidential office. More controversial is that Woo's father is currently a member of the election commission in Gangneung, Kweon's district constituency.
The problem is that cronyism allegations have been dogging the presidential office ever since Yoon took office on May 10. A staff member of the presidential office resigned on July 13, a day after she was discovered to be the sister of a far-right YouTuber who has been staging abusive protests in front of former President Moon Jae-in's rural residence. Earlier, a controversy erupted after it was revealed that the wife of Yoon's secretary for personnel affairs had accompanied the president to the NATO Summit in Spain, although she was not an official staffer of the presidential office. Also, Yoon's second cousin on his mother's side was found to have been working as a senior administrator in the presidential office.
All these cases are serious enough to arouse suspicions that cronyism may be behind the appointments of many presidential aides. Touching on the controversy over Woo's appointment Sunday, the PPP's acting chairman ruled out the possibility of personal connections. However, personnel management is not a simple issue. Given that the presidential office is the center of the country's political power, its hiring should be fair and transparent regardless of whether the position in question is high or not. Otherwise, the president will be caught in never-ending cronyism controversies and will not be able to concentrate on state affairs.