Mayor slammed for power abuse
By Jung Min-ho
Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon
Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon found himself caught in a political crossfire during a National Assembly audit Monday as conservative lawmakers questioned him on issues of his alleged abuse of power.
Park is a potential liberal candidate for the next presidency.
Rep. Lee No-keun from the ruling Saenuri Party excoriated Park once again for helping his aides to get hired as visiting professors by the University of Seoul, which is funded by the SMG.
“The University of Seoul is rotten,” Lee said. “Four of your aides recently quit their job at the school. I wonder why they left if the hiring process was lawful and fair.”
Lawmaker Lee Woo-hyun from the same party also criticized Park for “actively leading cronyism” by abusing his power.
The aides received about 5 million won ($4,700) monthly from the university “for practically doing nothing,” according to ruling party lawmakers.
“Since Park was elected mayor in 2011, 13 out of a total of 25 visiting professors hired at the school are former high-ranking SMG officials. Isn’t it SMG’s responsibility if the school wasted its budget?” Rep. Lee Jang-woo queried.
Rep. Yi Wan-young from the Saenuri Party also bashed Park for “showing too much political ambition instead of focusing on his job as mayor.”
“Now you have 30 percent more high-ranking assistants. And you pay them a lot of money,” he said.
Citing that the wife of a SMG auditor was involved in the corruption case of a produce distribution center, Yi noted, “The SMG is failing to police itself.”
The annual inspection of the mayor later became a lot more personal.
Rep. Lee Jang-woo berated Park for “being dishonest” after the mayor said he is “frugal.”
“You once paid millions of won for your monthly rent,” Lee said. “I wonder if you returned any money that you received while working for different civic groups.”
Perhaps the highlight of the audit was the attack on the mayor’s dogs.
Lee No-keun criticized Park for wasting taxpayers' money on his three Jindo dogs at Seoul Grand Park.
The mayor received the dogs from a supporter as a gift three years ago.
“They are not purebred,” he said. “Who would go to the park to see mongrel dogs?” Park defended himself by saying that “There are no laws that ban mongrels at the park.”