Dismissed Executive Committee Member Exposes Transition Team Abuses: "Secret Meetings, Sexist Remarks"

Press Conference by Transition Team Lawyer Jo Sang-gyu on the 29th
"Dismissed Without Opportunity to Explain Despite No Security Issues"

Attorney Jo Sang-gyu, who was dismissed from the Science and Technology Education Subcommittee of the Presidential Transition Committee, is holding a press conference in front of the transition committee office in Tongui-dong, Seoul, on the morning of the 29th.

Attorney Jo Sang-gyu, who was dismissed from the Science and Technology Education Subcommittee of the Presidential Transition Committee for violating security regulations, protested the committee's decision, stating, "I was not given any opportunity to explain myself, nor was I directly notified of my dismissal."

In particular, Attorney Jo revealed that some transition committee members shouted at public officials for personal reasons during ministry briefings and even made sexually derogatory remarks to female staff members. He expressed regret over being dismissed for allegedly releasing photos that did not contain any security issues.

On the morning of the 29th, Attorney Jo held a press conference near the transition committee office in Tongui-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, where he systematically refuted the committee's decision to dismiss him.

Previously, Attorney Jo sparked controversy by posting a 'selfie' on Facebook taken in front of the transition committee building's nameplate with the security vehicle of President-elect Yoon in the background. The license plates of President-elect Yoon's vehicles, which receive protection equivalent to that of a sitting president, are all classified as security information.

Regarding this, Attorney Jo stated, "In my photo, the license plate of the security vehicle is far in the back and not clearly visible. Even if it were visible, there are already numerous photos where the license plates of security vehicles are clearly shown, so I cannot understand how this constitutes a violation of security regulations."

Attorney Jo also addressed criticism from the transition committee workshop on the 26th, where he was accused of leaking photos of President-elect Yoon's back and the workshop presentation content. He said, "The lecture content was good, so many people took photos of the presentation slides. I never thought this was a violation of security regulations."

He pointed out, "To this day, I have not received any notification from the transition committee regarding the reasons for my dismissal. If dismissal procedures are to proceed, the person involved should be given an opportunity to explain themselves, but I was not given any such chance."

He continued, "What is even more shocking is that yesterday morning, after the news article was published, the secretary of the Science and Technology Subcommittee called me and told me that my name was not included in the computer system due to an administrative omission and that I should quietly leave. However, upon checking, I found that my government internal network ID and email were both functioning normally, and my name was clearly listed as a working member in the system roster."

Attorney Jo also exposed inappropriate behavior by some members of the Science and Technology Education Subcommittee.

He said, "During the Korea Communications Commission briefing, a transition committee member shouted at ministry officials who reported that they had not watched the Sebasi broadcast in which he appeared. Thirty minutes before the Ministry of Education briefing started, he alone made ministry officials sit down for a mental education session, spoke alone throughout the briefing, and forced them to make eye contact while reporting."

He added, "In some cases, only three transition committee members remained during all briefings while everyone else was asked to leave, and meetings were held in the dark. Despite restrictions on expert members' remarks and the subcommittee becoming a personal committee of certain transition members, no action was taken. Instead, the committee publicly announced my dismissal decision to the media, citing photos that had already been made public and were not subject to security restrictions. I express my deep regret over this once again."