Police Investigate Former National Security Office Chief Seo Hoon... Allegations of Hiring Irregularities

Abuse of Authority Allegations During Tenure as NIS Director
Former NIS Director Park Jiwon to Be Summoned Soon

The Anti-Corruption and Public Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency confirmed on the 10th that they summoned and investigated former Blue House National Security Office Chief Suh Hoon, who is suspected of unfairly hiring close aides to related organizations during his tenure as the Director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS). This came 17 days after a search was conducted on November 24 at Su’s residence and at the Secretary-General’s office and Planning and Coordination Office within the NIS.

Seo Hoon, Former Director of the National Security Office at the Blue House [Image source=Yonhap News]

Former Chief Suh was questioned for about seven hours from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and left around 6 p.m.

According to the police, Su is suspected of abusing his authority and obstructing business by changing internal regulations in August 2017, when he was the NIS Director, to hire Jo, who did not meet the hiring criteria, as the head of the Research Planning Office at the National Security Strategy Institute (NSSI), a related organization of the NIS.

The police believe that Su instructed changes to the personnel and service regulations of the NSSI to hire Jo, who was from Moon Jae-in’s presidential campaign team.

The police reportedly questioned Su about the reasons for ordering changes to the NSSI personnel and service regulations and whether he was directly involved in Jo’s hiring.

The police also plan to summon and investigate Park Ji-won (81), former NIS Director, who is suspected of hiring two close aides who were former parliamentary aides without going through procedures such as recommendation, document screening, and interviews, as research fellows at the NSSI during his tenure as NIS Director.

The NSSI is an affiliated organization of the NIS that researches and analyzes comprehensive foreign and security affairs to develop strategies and policies. The NIS Director has the authority to provide budget support and supervise the NSSI.

The NIS conducted an internal audit of personnel affairs during the Moon Jae-in administration and identified signs of hiring corruption involving close aides of former Chiefs Su and Park, and referred the case to the police for investigation earlier this year.

Those who served as NIS Directors during the Moon Jae-in administration are currently on trial, charged with covering up the so-called 'West Sea Public Official Shooting Incident' that occurred in September 2020. Former Chief Su is also on trial for forcibly sending back two North Korean fishermen who expressed their intention to defect in November 2019.