By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter
The top position in the National Tax Service (NTS) is vulnerable to corruption, or so the history of former commissioners of the tax agency would seem to suggest.
The NTS has had a total of 15 commissioners since it was separated from the Ministry of Finance and Economy in 1966.
The position of NTS head, which is on par with vice minister, is along with the prosecutor-general, National Police Agency chief and head of the National Intelligence Service one of the country's most crucial posts. Usually, a person in that position is not replaced until a full-scale Cabinet reshuffle.
Among 15 successive NTS heads, seven were involved in illegal activity. The fifth and sixth NTS commissioners, Ahn Mu-hyuk and Sung Yong-wook, were given jail sentences on charges of raising illegal funds for a presidential election.
The 10th NTS head, Lim Chae-joo, was also punished over raising illegal funds during a 15th presidential election. The 12th head, Ahn Jung-nam, was appointed as construction and transportation minister in 2001 after he retired from the position. But he had to step down due over alleged property speculation.
The 13th commissioner Son Young-lae was convicted over irregularities involving local tourism company Sun & Moon Group. The 15th commissioner Lee Ju-sung resigned amid alleged conflict with Cheong Wa Dae.
Lastly, the 16th commissioner Jeon Goon-pyo was arrested on charges of bribery on Tuesday and became the first incumbent tax head to be arrested for personal corruption in the national tax agency's 41-year history.
Jeon is suspected of receiving 50 million won and $10,000 at his office on five occasions between July last year and January this year from Busan Regional Tax Service commissioner Chung Sang-gon.
He was placed in the Busan Detention Center upon the issuance of the arrest warrant. Jeon said the arrest shouldn't be construed as meaning he had accepted the charges against him. He has already resigned from his post.