"Want to Ask How Cheongwadae Was" Amid Private Hiring Controversy, Ruling Party Calls Back 'Moon Government'

Kim Ki-hyun "Lee Jae-myung also hired without exams"
Na Kyung-won "Did the Moon administration conduct open recruitment?"
Defends by mentioning 'former government'

President Yoon Suk-yeol is striking the gavel at the Cabinet meeting held at the Yongsan Presidential Office Building in Seoul on the morning of the 19th. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] As the controversy over the presidential office's 'private hiring' grows, criticism continues regarding the ruling party's remarks and attitude attempting to defend it. The People Power Party has repeatedly responded to the Democratic Party of Korea's criticism of 'personnel misconduct' by saying, 'The Moon Jae-in administration did the same.' This contradicts their previous emphasis on 'fairness and common sense' while criticizing the previous administration for hypocrisy. Rather than providing a clear explanation of the allegations, the approach of comparing to the previous government seems to be fueling the controversy further.

Under the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, private hiring controversies have already surfaced multiple times. It began last month when it was revealed that two former employees of Kobana Contents, where First Lady Kim Geon-hee was CEO, were hired by the presidential office. Subsequently, it was found that Choi, a sixth cousin on President Yoon's maternal side, was working as a senior administrative officer under the presidential office's secretariat, and that the son of Woo, a telecommunications equipment company CEO from Gangneung known as a '40-year friend' of President Yoon, was working as an administrative staff member in the Office of Social Affairs.

On the 19th, it was confirmed that the son of Joo Ki-hwan, a former People Power Party candidate for Gwangju mayor who had worked as an investigator when President Yoon was in the prosecution, was working in the presidential office. The older sister of YouTuber Ahn Jeong-kwon, who protests in front of former President Moon Jae-in's residence in Yangsan, Gyeongnam, recently worked as an administrative staff member in the National Communication Office under the Office of Public Relations but resigned amid controversy.

People Power Party lawmaker Kim Ki-hyun mentioned the personnel appointments during Lee Jae-myung's tenure as governor of Gyeonggi Province in response to the private hiring controversy. In an interview with KBS Radio on the 19th, Kim said, "In Lee's case, Bae, who was involved in the corporate card controversy, was hired as a grade 5 secretary without a written exam. We do not say that hiring was wrong," and added, "Every president and party in history has always done so." He continued, "It is not desirable for the Democratic Party to attack like this," emphasizing, "This is not private hiring but public hiring."

Former floor leader Na Kyung-won also said, "If you call it private hiring, I want to ask how the Moon Jae-in administration's Blue House was," adding, "As you know, the presidential office has public officials dispatched from various ministries, but there are also special service public officials. Special service public officials are not hired through open recruitment procedures but are hired through recommendations." She criticized the Democratic Party, saying, "Did former President Moon conduct all open recruitments? Holding onto this issue is really unpleasant."

President Yoon Suk-yeol is arriving at the Yongsan Presidential Office Building in Seoul on the morning of the 20th and responding to reporters' questions. / Yonhap News

As the People Power Party claims, similar controversies occurred during the Moon Jae-in administration. In April, criticism arose over preferential hiring when it was revealed that the daughter of a designer known to be close to First Lady Kim Jung-sook worked as a Blue House administrative staff member responsible for the presidential couple's clothing. The People Power Party launched an offensive against the government, calling it 'unfair hiring.'

At that time, floor leader Kim Ki-hyun said, "The daughter of a regular designer who was personally close to First Lady Kim Jung-sook was hired at about grade 6 and works at the Blue House. It is hard to understand why a separate clothing manager for the First Lady should be hired and paid with taxpayers' money. Both the opportunity, process, and result are unfair." However, now both the presidential office and the People Power Party argue that the Democratic Party's criticism of private hiring is an unjust political attack. Their logic is that "since the previous government did the same, the Democratic Party has no right to criticize."

Some criticize, "What is the difference between the Yoon Seok-yeol government and the Moon Jae-in government?" President Yoon has repeatedly criticized the Moon administration as an 'activist government' and boasted that the current government would prioritize expertise and ability in appointments. However, by repeatedly citing issues from the previous government as a defense in every crisis, he is said to be diminishing the significance of regime change. Previously, when criticized for personnel appointments skewed toward the prosecution, President Yoon targeted the Moon administration by saying, "In the past, Minbyun (Lawyers for a Democratic Society) dominated."

There are also doubts about whether the personnel principle of 'only expertise and ability' has been upheld. When asked about the hiring of YouTuber Ahn Jeong-kwon's older sister on the 13th, the presidential office responded, "There is nothing to confirm," when asked "What abilities were considered in hiring?" They also said, "We do not know what kind of work she did before." This raises suspicions about whether proper personnel verification was conducted before hiring.

The presidential office emphasizes that the hired staff are practical workers who have helped President Yoon since his campaign days and that this is not private hiring. Spokesperson Kang In-sun held a briefing on the 19th, saying, "Calling the practical workers who sacrificed and volunteered during the campaign 'private hiring' and using a framework never heard of before is reverse discrimination against those who worked for the presidential election victory," adding, "No government in the past has ever attacked young practical workers who worked during elections as private hiring."