[The Editors' Verdict]Thorough Oversight and Checks on Public Officials Needed

What are our citizens interested in right now? The patterns of media coverage cannot be simply equated with the public's level of interest. However, some hints can be gleaned.

For example, incidents such as the detection of missing apartment materials, the Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree crisis last August, the ocean discharge of contaminated water from Tokyo Electric Power Company's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant which has now been ongoing for a month, and the issue of infringement on teachers' authority triggered by the death of an elementary school teacher in Seoul are gradually fading from memory.

Instead, news about rising prices during the holidays and domestic robot companies attracting record-breaking investments, as well as the substantive hearing of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, are being reported as new developments. Ongoing suspicions surrounding ministerial nominees and North Korea's relentless provocations remain active issues.

Many of the numerous issues we encounter in morning and evening news should not be forgotten as they are; they require definite follow-up measures to prevent recurrence of the problems. There are many important tasks that must be managed at the level of national institutions to ensure a rational process operates effectively.

Therefore, citizens elect public officials such as the president, members of the National Assembly, and local government heads to carry out these tasks, and pay taxes that fund the salaries of public servants. Regardless of rank, the weight and importance of public office stem from this responsibility.

Public servants must do their best to serve the people and respond strictly to each issue. While many public servants quietly work diligently in their positions, there are also those who do not. These include cases showing political bias or involvement in corruption.

The High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Unit (HOCIU) conducted a search and seizure operation on the 6th, deploying about 50 personnel to the Board of Audit and Inspection headquarters in Jongno-gu, Seoul, and the Special Investigation Bureau office in Myeongdong. This was to investigate allegations of a 'targeted audit' by the Board of Audit and Inspection against former Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission Chairperson Jeon Hyun-hee, who was appointed during the previous administration.

The Board of Audit and Inspection has been embroiled in controversy over biased audits favoring the administration, and senior officials have been reported to HOCIU on charges such as abuse of authority. The outcome remains to be seen, but the fact that the Board of Audit and Inspection?an organization "affiliated with the president but holding an independent status regarding its duties"?became the subject of a search and seizure related to a 'targeted audit' is itself problematic. Repeated incidents like this undermine the institution's credibility.

Additionally, the National Election Commission, which has 3,000 employees across 17 cities and provinces and 249 electoral districts, was found to have improperly hired 58 out of 384 experienced public servants recruited over the past seven years (15.1%), and violated hiring procedures in 104 out of 162 recruitment cases (64%). This was revealed by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission's investigation on the 11th.

The Commission reported 28 cases to the prosecution and requested investigations into 312 cases. The Election Commission did not conduct any internal audits on personnel matters?an obligation under the Public Officials Act?over seven years, nor did it undergo external audits. Despite claiming constitutional independence, it initially refused audits by the Board of Audit and Inspection but accepted partial audits after public criticism. This is difficult to understand.

Oversight and checks on public servants and public institutions funded by taxpayers' money must be more thorough than those on private companies. Irrational behavior should be criticized, and illegal actions must be strictly investigated, punished, and measures established to prevent recurrence. The public also needs to maintain sustained interest.