The Office of the President announced that it is making procedural improvements to ensure strict vetting, in response to issues raised with the personnel verification system during the appointments of Kang Sunwoo, former Minister of Gender Equality and Family nominee, Lee Jinsook, former Minister of Education nominee, and Kang Junwook, former Secretary for National Integration at the Office of the President.
On July 24, Presidential Spokesperson Kang Yujeong stated in a briefing, "We are conducting discussions to ensure fairness in personnel appointments." Kang further explained, "Appointments at the Office of the President are made through appropriate procedures in accordance with the law. The Personnel Committee, chaired by the Chief of Staff to the President, is currently in operation."
The spokesperson also said that feedback and criticisms raised during the appointment process would be actively accepted and reflected. Kang said, "Although appointments have been made through appropriate procedures based on established standards, if there were aspects that did not meet public expectations, we will actively accept them and enhance procedural completeness. For example, in the case of secretaries, we did not necessarily read all of their publications or scrutinize every expression in their works, but now we plan to expand the vetting process to include such aspects as well."
Regarding the composition of the Personnel Committee, Kang added, "I understand that it is not to be disclosed. It was also undisclosed under the previous administration. However, all operational regulations are in place, and the committee is being operated in accordance with these rules and the law."
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