An Min-seok: "NamBuk Hana Foundation Changed Passing Criteria to Hire Unqualified Candidates"

Ahn Min-seok, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee plenary meeting held at the National Assembly on the 28th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Wondara] It has been revealed that the South-North Hana Foundation, a foundation supporting North Korean defectors, changed the passing criteria during the hiring process and hired unqualified candidates.

According to the "2019 Public Institution Hiring Status Regular Survey" submitted by the Ministry of Unification to Ahn Min-seok, a member of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, the South-North Hana Foundation, under its jurisdiction, changed the passing criteria during the hiring process and hired candidates who did not meet the qualifications.

When hiring a unification specialist educator, the South-North Hana Foundation changed the document screening passing criteria retroactively and accepted unqualified candidates. Because of this, candidates who could have passed were eliminated, but the hiring staff only received a reprimand, the lowest level of disciplinary action for public officials. Also, during the hiring of regular level 5 positions, the experience scores in the document screening were miscalculated, causing 3 out of 4 candidates to be unfairly eliminated. The responsible staff only received a written warning. Additionally, irregularities were later found in the conversion to regular positions, multi-faceted evaluation calculations, academic qualification restrictions, and the establishment and modification of hiring plans.

Assemblyman Ahn emphasized, "The lenient punishment for hiring corruption does not meet the public's expectations and goes against the government's zero-tolerance policy. We must continuously strive to eradicate hiring corruption through institutional improvements such as establishing a fair system, thorough inspections, and strengthening disciplinary standards."