[Editorial] Stop Giving Jobs to Your Favorites

There is growing controversy over Korea Racing Association's job appointments. The situation has come to the point where new executives have been unable to start their work because the union is so strongly opposed to them. If you look at the vice president and standing director carefully enough you can see that they are fully people who are in the "Roh Moo Hyun camp." One was a local chairman for the ruling party, and the other was a gucheongjang, the head of a local nationhood district government who supported Roh during the presidential campaign.

Naturally, "parachute appointments" are not all bad. Sometimes what you need the most is someone to drop in from way outside the organization to bring fresh energy and implement reform. But it is an abuse of power to have someone who is not interested in reform and has no expertise is put in a position of importance in a coercive fashion. And when someone over the age of 70 who has no knowledge whatsoever about horses has a position made for him at the country's official horse racing body, it sure does look like a typical case of "looking after your people."

Even more serious a problem is how the matter also relates to controversy over favoritism for the Busan and greater South Gyeongsang region. People from that area continue to be placed in high government positions or high-ranking jobs at state-run companies, yet Cheong Wa Dae defends itself by saying they are all "the most qualified" for being "carefully chosen through a strict process of evaluation and review." Even if they are the "most qualified," you are still left with a bitter aftertaste. You wonder how it is that one particular region has so many individuals who just so happen to be the best people for so many jobs. Allegations that there is an imbalance are becoming even more convincing in the wake of rumors that former National Assembly speaker Sin Sang U has been chosen to be the next president of the Korea Baseball Organization.

In previous governments as well, as a president's term entered its second half you often saw cases of "planting people from the same home region," "taking care of your people," and "making appointments to pay off political debts." What makes the situation so serious is that the current government is already showing signs of that happening. Cheong Wa Dae needs to stop just quoting the statistics about previous governments. Indications of an imbalance in appointments as noticed by the people have already reached dangerous levels.

The Hankyoreh, 2 December 2005.

[Translations by Seoul Selection]