Tak Hyun-min Refutes Favoritism Allegations Toward Close Associate's Company, Asking "Does This Mean Presidential Security Is Not Important?"

Planning agency 'No Boundary' established by aide to Secretary Tak
Allegations of preferential treatment in securing Norwegian event attended by President Moon last June

Tak Hyun-min, Protocol Secretary at the Blue House, is attending the 'Korean New Deal National Report Conference' held at the Blue House Yeongbingwan on July 14. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Tak Hyunmin, Protocol Secretary at the Blue House, refuted allegations that a planning company operated by his close associate received preferential treatment in securing a Blue House event contract by asking, "Are you saying that security elements don't matter and that the entire presidential itinerary should be disclosed?"

Earlier, 'SBS' reported that during the planning of the 'K-pop concert' event held locally when President Moon Jae-in visited Norway in June last year, the planning company 'No Boundary,' established by Tak's close associate, was given preferential treatment.

According to Article 30 of the Enforcement Decree of the National Contract Act, even in the case of private contracts, unless there is only one producer of the goods, estimates must be obtained from two or more parties. However, the Korean Embassy in Norway, which planned the event, reportedly received estimates only from No Boundary.

The embassy explained the suspicion by stating, "The event schedule was confirmed about three weeks before the president's visit, so time was tight."

However, according to the 'Norway Service Result Report' obtained by Kim Seungsoo, a member of the Future United Party, No Boundary visited the local venue for reconnaissance on April 10, two months before the event, and again on May 10, one month prior. It was also confirmed that Tak accompanied the reconnaissance visits.

In response, Tak wrote on his Facebook on the 1st, "So, does the SBS report mean that security elements don't matter, and that the presidential event's itinerary, locations, and details should all be disclosed in advance, and in the case of overseas trips, whether the counterpart country's head of state attends should also be disclosed?"

This is interpreted as an explanation that, since the president personally attended the event, it was difficult to obtain estimates from two or more parties due to security reasons.

Tak also questioned, "Are you saying that after obtaining comparative estimates from two or more companies unrelated to the director's intentions, we should compose the event within 15 days with Hallyu stars, overseas venues, and foreign performers without any reconnaissance, create a great video, organize all the staff, and complete it without any accidents?" This implies that on-site reconnaissance was unavoidable for a large-scale event held overseas.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.