Park's special advisers cause of contention

By Jun Ji-hye

Three newly proposed special advisers to President Park Geun-hye are a cause of contention amid continuing controversy about sitting lawmakers holding additional jobs.

The controversy has delayed their official appointment for more than 15 days.

Park named three sitting lawmakers of the ruling Saenuri Party ― Reps. Yoon Sang-hyun, Joo Ho-young and Kim Jae-won ― as special advisers on political affairs on Feb. 27, giving them a mission to help with communications between Cheong Wa Dae and the governing party.

But critics are asking if lawmakers with jobs as special advisers to the President could be violating the National Assembly Law that bans legislators from holding more than one office except for when they are appointed to ministers.

Rep. Moon Jae-in, chairman of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy, said, “The three should choose one job and resign from the other.”

Even some members from the governing party, including floor leader Rep. Yoo Seong-min, remain skeptical about the trio’s concurrent positions.

National Assembly Speaker Chung Ui-hwa said he was willing to examine the legitimacy of the three lawmakers concurrently holding jobs as special advisers. But he said he would begin the examination only after the three were officially appointed.

The law stipulates that the Speaker can decide whether to allow sitting lawmakers to hold additional appointments, through consultation with the ethics committee, when the jobs are thought to be in the public interest.

Controversy that emerged even before the three begin to work is also causing doubts about whether they will be able to fulfill their mission properly.

Asked about being a special adviser to the President, Rep. Joo told reporters, “I don’t know.”

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