Kim Hanmae, Standing Representative of Citizens' Action for Judicial Justice, Summoned as Complainant for Questioning
The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) has launched an investigation into allegations of preferential hiring involving the daughter of Prosecutor General Sim Woo-jung at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
On May 16, the CIO’s Third Investigation Division, led by Chief Prosecutor Lee Daehwan, summoned Kim Hanmae, the standing representative of the civic group Citizens’ Action for Judicial Justice, as the complainant for questioning.
Kim filed a complaint against Prosecutor General Sim, Foreign Minister Cho Taeyul, and former President of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy Park Chulhee, accusing them of bribery, violations of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, and abuse of authority. The complaint alleges that the hiring of Sim’s daughter by the Korea National Diplomatic Academy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs constituted bribery, and that Minister Cho abused his authority to facilitate preferential hiring. Kim also claimed that a private scholarship received by Sim’s son during high school was a bribe from the school principal to Sim. Before the questioning, Kim asserted, “The investigation into Prosecutor General Sim’s children’s corruption should be as thorough as the standard applied to the Cho Kuk family.”
The controversy over preferential hiring for Sim’s daughter began in March, when Han Jeongae, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party of Korea, raised suspicions. The core of the issue is that Sim’s daughter was hired last year as a fixed-term researcher at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy despite not meeting the eligibility requirements, and was subsequently hired this year as a permanent researcher at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
At the time of hiring, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was recruiting candidates with a master’s degree in economics. However, after disqualifying one of the final interviewees, the ministry changed the eligibility criteria to accept applicants with a master’s degree in international politics. Lawmakers from the Democratic Party on the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee argued that the ministry revised and re-announced the recruitment criteria to fit Sim’s daughter. They also claimed it was inappropriate to recognize experience as a graduate research assistant and an internship at a United Nations-affiliated organization as relevant work experience.
In response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the hiring process was conducted transparently and fairly in accordance with relevant laws and regulations. The ministry explained that the process was conducted blindly, with more than half of the interview panel composed of external members, making preferential treatment or consideration impossible. Regarding the Korea National Diplomatic Academy recruitment, the ministry stated that all applicants were informed that those expected to obtain a master’s degree were also eligible. To ensure an objective assessment, the ministry has requested a public interest audit from the Board of Audit and Inspection and has suspended the hiring decision until the results are available. As the allegations surfaced, Prosecutor General Sim dismissed them as “groundless” and expressed “strong regret.”
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