Five Finalists Undergoing Personnel Vetting
Choi Yeonhye’s Leadership Expected to Continue for Now
The selection process for the new president of Korea Gas Corporation, which had been narrowed down to five candidates and was in the final stages of personnel verification, has been canceled and will undergo a new round of recruitment.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on January 19 that it had sent an official letter to Korea Gas Corporation requesting that the recruitment process for the new president be restarted. Accordingly, Korea Gas Corporation is expected to soon publish a new announcement inviting applications for the position of president.
It is highly unusual for the supervising ministry to request a new recruitment process while the selection for a new president is already underway. The ministry cited Article 24-2 of the Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Management of Public Institutions as the basis for its request. According to this provision, if a candidate for an executive position is found to have grounds for disqualification or is deemed significantly unfit for the management of a public enterprise or quasi-governmental institution, the ministry may request a new recommendation of candidates.
Previously, the Executive Recommendation Committee of Korea Gas Corporation issued a public notice for the new president position in November of last year. Fifteen candidates submitted applications, and through document screening and interviews, the candidate pool was narrowed down to five: former National Assembly member Lee Inki, former Korea Gas Technology Corporation president Ko Youngtae, former KOREA LNG president Kim Jeomsoo, former Korea Gas Corporation executive vice president Lee Seung, and former KOREA LNG president Lee Changgyun. The shortlist included one political figure and four internal candidates.
The committee was conducting personnel verification for these five candidates. The government had planned to nominate the new president at the Public Institutions Management Committee meeting at the end of this month.
However, the Korea Gas Corporation labor union strongly opposed the process, demanding thorough personnel verification and the exclusion of unqualified candidates. The union was scheduled to stage a protest in front of the presidential office starting January 20, calling for the rejection of unfit candidates for the presidency of Korea Gas Corporation and urging a new recruitment process.
The union specifically raised concerns about the suitability of Lee Inki, who was considered a leading candidate for the presidency. The labor union stated, "According to legal counsel, Lee Inki is ineligible to assume public office due to a prior violation of the Public Official Election Act, making it impossible for him to be appointed as president."
As Korea Gas Corporation restarts the recruitment process for its president, the system under President Choi Yeonhye, whose term expired on December 8 of last year, is expected to remain in place for the time being. The new recruitment process for the president is expected to take about four months.
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