Seoul Metropolitan Council Health and Welfare Committee (Chair Lee Young-sil) Criticizes Appointment of Unqualified Director Leading to Two-Month Vacancy of Seoul 50 Plus Foundation CEO; Despite Requests for Documentation and Explanation for Annual Salary of 100.2 Million KRW, CEO Moon Hye-jung Responded with Resignation
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon's personnel appointments are once again causing controversy.
After appointing former Federation of Korean Economic Organizations (FKO) headquarters chief Kim Heon-dong, who was once rejected by the SH President Recommendation Committee, as SH President, criticism has arisen again as Moon Hye-jung, CEO of the Seoul 50 Plus Foundation, resigned just two months after her appointment.
The Seoul Metropolitan Council's Health and Welfare Committee (Chair Lee Young-sil) issued a statement on the 29th, saying, "Moon Hye-jung, CEO of the Seoul 50 Plus Foundation appointed by Mayor Oh Se-hoon, is from the People Power Party Oh Se-hoon mayoral campaign and was suspected of lacking qualifications from the start." They added, "She suddenly submitted her resignation on the 26th without providing a clear explanation for her absence from the Seoul Metropolitan Council's administrative audit and without submitting even the minimum documents to prove her career."
Moon Hye-jung, appointed by Mayor Oh on the 1st of last month, reportedly took family care leave unilaterally on November 2, the day the Seoul Metropolitan Council's administrative audit began, just one month after her inauguration. According to a lawyer's advice requested by the Seoul Metropolitan Council, Moon Hye-jung is not a "worker" eligible for family care leave under the Gender Equality Employment Act, and as an executive with business representation and execution authority, she is not qualified to apply for family care leave.
From the perspective of frontline employees who must be cautious even to take family care leave once, the mayor and the foundation were criticized for being unreasonably lenient toward executive Moon Hye-jung by allowing leave without legal grounds.
Afterwards, until nearly a month later on November 26, she neglected her duties as foundation CEO and responded with a "resignation" without any responsible explanation, further raising doubts about her initial lack of qualifications.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul 50 Plus Foundation stated that among the qualifications for the CEO position is "at least three years of experience as an executive of a related organization or as a senior executive of a company," and that Moon Hye-jung meets this requirement and was appointed through a fair process with sufficient expertise.
However, the Seoul Metropolitan Council demanded that Moon Hye-jung submit a "Health Insurance Qualification Certificate" to prove her career. They allowed submission in any form?documents, files, photos?to minimize inconvenience, but what they received in return was an irresponsible "resignation," they criticized.
She did not submit even the minimum statement or document to prove her expertise and career, and the only thing she provided was a "letter of resignation" without any explanation.
The Seoul Metropolitan Council is not a place for rewarding People Power Party Seoul mayoral campaign affiliates. Even if appointments are made in a distributive manner, there must be at least minimum ability and responsibility. Only then can one be said to have "some sense of shame."
The committee stated, "Is the lack of professionalism and fairness in personnel principles the true face of Mayor Oh Se-hoon's skilled administration?" "The Seoul 50 Plus Foundation is a representative Seoul Metropolitan Government-funded institution that implements important projects preparing the 50+ generation for life transitions, overseeing social contribution job creation, senior job ecosystem development, and customized comprehensive old-age preparation services. Such specialized areas require experts with appropriate skills and character selected through fair procedures, which is common sense in our society."
However, the committee argued that Moon Hye-jung's insincere attitude and irresponsible resignation are extreme examples showing how formal the personnel procedures under Mayor Oh Se-hoon's "skilled administration" really are.
As a result, the Seoul 50 Plus Foundation has been left without a CEO again just two months after welcoming one. The greatest victims of this are Seoul citizens, the main targets of the 50+ generation customized welfare policies.
Moon Hye-jung, who lacks qualifications and whose eligibility is doubtful, has caused immeasurable wounds and losses to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the foundation, and citizens due to her shortcomings.
This has shown everyone how impulsive Mayor Oh Se-hoon's personnel decisions are and that he is a "person who spouts flattering rhetoric while mocking citizens." Mayor Oh Se-hoon must no longer manipulate city administration. Appointing professionals through fair and transparent procedures is a basic duty and responsibility of the Seoul mayor.
Chair Lee concluded, "Mayor Oh Se-hoon must show sincerity for the citizens even for the remainder of his term when appointing executives and staff of affiliated institutions and exercising personnel authority. He must remember that the Seoul Metropolitan Government organization and its affiliated institutions are not his personal property."
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