Korea Racing Authority Clarifies It Is Not a 'Retaliatory Personnel Move'... Internal Conflict Over Some Executive Appointments Explained

[Image source=Korea Racing Authority]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Kim Yong-woo] Amid internal strife over employee ‘personnel’ issues, the Korea Racing Authority (KRA) has strongly denied claims from some quarters that the personnel actions were ‘retaliatory transfers.’

Since the inauguration of the new chairman in March, internal conflicts over personnel authority have arisen, leading to recent dismissals or transfers of key executives and managers, including the vice chairman, head of the personnel office, and personnel department manager.

Regarding the labor union’s claim that Chairman Kim Woo-nam conducted retaliatory personnel actions under the pretext of personnel reform, the Korea Racing Authority firmly denied, stating, “This is completely untrue.”

In materials released on the 27th, the Korea Racing Authority explained the background of the personnel measures, saying, “The key line from the vice chairman to the head of the personnel office and personnel department manager are positions that require constant communication with the chairman, but under circumstances where ‘secondary harm’ was being claimed, further communication became impossible.”

They also explained that the claim of retaliatory secondary harm was merely a subjective judgment.

The KRA also refuted the assertion that horizontal transfers without any status or economic disadvantages should be considered ‘retaliation.’

On the 26th, the Korea Racing Authority Labor Union stated, “Chairman Kim Woo-nam, who was reported to the prosecution for allegedly verbally abusing employees opposing the hiring of his close aides, committed secondary harm by unfairly transferring the victims of the incident under the pretext of personnel reform.”

When Chairman Kim Woo-nam transferred two personnel staff members involved in the incident to the Overseas Business Department and the Sales General Department at the Gwacheon headquarters, respectively, the KRA labor union claimed, “The transfers to other departments were unwanted and constitute secondary harm.”

Kim Woo-nam, who took office as chairman of the Korea Racing Authority in March this year, was reported and is under police investigation for allegedly verbally abusing and coercing a personnel staff member who refused his directive to specially recruit his former parliamentary aide as chief secretary; the case has been forwarded to the prosecution.

Regarding the union’s claim of ‘retaliatory personnel actions,’ the Korea Racing Authority stated, “After Chairman Kim’s verbal abuse was broadcast on April 13, the head of the personnel office and the personnel department manager refused the chairman’s work orders.”

In response, the KRA said, “From July, in preparation for the reopening of racetrack admissions, which had been suspended due to COVID-19, we had no choice but to exercise personnel authority to resolve the numerous pending issues.”

They also stated, “The reassignment of the head of the personnel office to the head of the Overseas Business Department and the personnel department manager to the head of the Sales General Department were horizontal transfers within core departments of the KRA, so there is absolutely no problem.”

Regarding the decision not to assign a position to the vice chairman, the KRA explained, “This was to hold accountable the division head who oversaw public institution management evaluations, as the Korea Racing Authority received the lowest and only E grade among public enterprises in the 2020 institutional management evaluation.”

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