Jun Ji-hye, a reporter at the finance desk of The Korea Times, focuses primarily on economic policy and government agencies, mainly covering the Ministry of Finance and Economy, the Ministry of Budget and Planning, the National Tax Service and the Korea Customs Service. She previously covered financial authorities, including the Financial Services Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service, and earlier worked on the political, city and business desks, reporting on a wide range of issues.
Finance minister acts imprudently
By Jun Ji-hye
Choi Kyung-hwan
By Jun Ji-hye
Finance Minister Choi Kyung-hwan, a lawmaker from the ruling Saenuri Party, is taking flak for remarks he made during a visit to his home constituency of Gyeongsan in North Gyeongsang Province.
In an apparent attempt to curry favor with voters, he said that he was working hard to secure a greater budget for his hometown.
The three-term lawmaker visited the city during a three-day vacation late last month.
Critics say his remarks were extremely inappropriate as the incumbent finance minister.
What made his behavior more notable was the timing, as his visit came only a few days after President Park Geun-hye urged her Cabinet members to refrain from pursuing personal ambition and focus on government affairs.
On the second day of the visit, he attended a ceremony for a high-tech textile center that was built by the state.
On the third day, he met a group of local reporters where he made the controversial remarks.
“Enough money is being invested in the region,” he told reporters there.
When one participant at the meeting asked about a project to modernize a traditional market in the region, Choi replied: “I will positively review a proposal if you send it to me at anytime.”
Critics say such remarks could cause misunderstanding as he is the top official of the financial authority.
Bae Jong-chan, the chief director at political pollster Research and Research, said Choi made inappropriate remarks that would neither help the President nor the governing party.
“Choi is highly likely to run in the next general election in April 2016 to become a four-term lawmaker. Looking after the budget of his constituency could raise his popularity there, but negative views will arise in the rest of the nation,” Bae said.
“This could give opposition parties an opportunity to attack him, as well as the ruling party and the government, as the finance minister appointed by President Park was seen making a politically motivated move in his own electoral district. This could also lead to falling approval ratings of the governing party and Park.”
Bae pointed out that one of the biggest reasons for the decreasing popularity of the President is the poor performance of the economy.
“As the head of the finance ministry, he should have delivered Park’s willingness to overcome the economic crisis facing the nation,” he said.
Regarding the controversy, Choi’s aides told reporters that he conducted the visit as a lawmaker, not as a minister.
But Bae argued that if Choi wanted to make a prominent move as a lawmaker, he should have stepped down from his ministerial position.
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