Central Election Commission "Allegations of Favoritism in Hiring Children, Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General Resign"

The National Election Commission announced on the 25th that Secretary-General Park Chan-jin and Deputy Secretary Song Bong-seop will resign, taking moral responsibility in connection with allegations of preferential hiring of their children.

In a press release on the same day, the Election Commission stated, "We held an emergency committee meeting this morning regarding current issues and deeply regret the great disappointment and concern caused to the public due to recent revelations of inadequate information security management and allegations of preferential hiring of children by senior executives. We have decided to make every possible effort to continue investigating the truth and to establish measures to prevent recurrence." It added, "Accordingly, Secretary-General Park and Deputy Secretary Song, who have been the subjects of the preferential hiring allegations, humbly accept the public criticism and concerns raised so far as heads of the Secretariat, and regardless of the results of the ongoing special audit, they will take moral responsibility for the current situation and resign."

The 8th nationwide local elections are 20 days away, as seen on the 12th at the Central Election Commission in Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi-do. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

The Election Commission also promised follow-up measures related to the series of controversies.

The Commission explained, "Regardless of the resignation of the Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary, we will thoroughly investigate the truth regarding the hiring of children of current and former public officials through the ongoing special audit and internal comprehensive investigation, and take all appropriate measures such as disciplinary actions or requests for investigation based on the results. At the same time, we will promptly and smoothly proceed with the joint security consulting process with external organizations such as the National Intelligence Service and the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) regarding the already agreed information security system of the Election Commission."

The Election Commission also pledged to swiftly resolve the situation. A Commission official stated, "We will promptly stabilize the organization by appointing successors to the Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary through transparent and fair procedures. At the same time, we will continuously implement all necessary reform measures to become a constitutional institution capable of fulfilling the constitutional duty of fair and neutral election management with sufficient ability and morality, thereby preparing without disruption for the 22nd National Assembly election to be held next year."