Former judges and prosecutors can become millionaires two to three years after they become lawyers in Korea. This is due to the deep-rooted vicious cycle of incumbents giving favors to predecessors during trials when the retired judges and prosecutors become lawyers. This evil practice in the legal community has been brought to surface again.
Chung Dong-ki, nominee for the top post of the Board of Audit and Inspection, received a monthly salary of 100 million won for seven months after he retired as the No. 2 man in the prosecution in November, 2007. He has served President Lee Myung-bak as senior secretary for civil affairs since June 2008.
He faces a tough confirmation hearing at the National Assembly this month. The opposition Democratic Party has urged him to bow out before the hearing. It contended that Chung is unsuitable for heading the state auditing agency as he could not monitor irregularities in officialdom.
Even some lawmakers of the governing Grand National Party are afraid that he is a serious liability for the party’s image and popularity.
Chung said it was a legitimate salary he received at a Seoul-based law firm. He said his actual income was 470 million won after paying 220 million won in tax. He sought to appease boiling public sentiment by expressing regret that the amount is high from the view of ordinary salaried workers.
His monthly salary of 100 million won is still high even in the eyes of lawyers. Lawyers’ reported monthly income stood at 5.2 million won. He earned 50 times as much as an ordinary salaried worker and 20 times as much as an average lawyer.
The informal arrangement of giving special consideration to former judges and prosecutors is one of the major problems in the legal community. The practice is the cause of deep-rooted public distrust in the criminal justice system. It also raises the cost of legal expenses.
Several legislations have tried to root out the malpractice but to no avail. Chung is allegedly linked to the Lee administration’s illegal surveillance of citizens. He is the person who headed an investigation into the BBK scandal at the peak of the presidential election in 2007. The scandal linked the then presidential candidate Lee to a financial scam although Lee was later cleared of the charges.
The audit nominee is unfit to create a fair society in view of the public perception that he abused his former post for personal gain. The BAI is the state organization which should stand in the vanguard for creating a fair society. He should not be a burden to President Lee.
In addition, Chung’s ability to maintain neutrality and independence of the agency is under question because he had served as a senior secretary for President Lee. The agency is legally under the control of the Chief Executive. The public expects independence and neutrality from the agency as an overseer of officialdom.