"Failures Throughout Moon Administration's Science and Technology Personnel... Do Well in the End"

National Public Research Union Claims All Three Candidates for Chairperson of National Science and Technology Research Council Are "All Inappropriate"

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[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] Controversy is arising over the de facto final appointment of heads of scientific and technological institutions under the Moon Jae-in administration.

The National Public Research Union issued a statement on the 2nd regarding the ongoing appointment of the chairman of the National Science and Technology Research Council (NST), announcing the results of their own verification that all candidates shortlisted to three times the final number are "all inappropriate."

On the 11th of last month, NST held a chairman recommendation committee meeting and selected three candidates for the position: Kim Bok-cheol, Director of the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources; Park Sang-yeol, Principal Researcher at the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science; and Cho Young-hwa, former Distinguished Professor at Sungkyunkwan University. The final review is underway. The review is expected to be completed early this month, narrowing down to one candidate, who will then be appointed after recommendation by Minister Lim Hye-sook of the Ministry of Science and ICT and approval by President Moon. NST manages 25 government-funded research institutes in the science and technology sector that lead national research and development (R&D) efforts and is responsible for the actual implementation of science and technology policies. Minister Lim Hye-sook was appointed chairman in January but resigned after three months upon her appointment as Minister of Science and ICT, prompting the selection of a new chairman.

In this regard, the National Public Research Union, composed of employees from government-funded research institutes, stated in their announcement that "there is strong doubt about the current selection of the NST chairman candidates, and it is questionable whether a chairman can be properly appointed," adding, "This is because there are strong suspicions about whether the three shortlisted candidates possess the qualifications, abilities, and morality required to lead the council."

According to the union, candidate Cho Young-hwa provided entertainment, including dozens of rounds of alcohol and multiple secondary hospitality events, to officials from the Ministry of Science and ICT during his tenure as president of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Planning and Evaluation. Candidates Park Sang-yeol and Kim Bok-cheol also received poor evaluations both inside and outside their affiliated institutions and received the lowest rating in anti-corruption policy evaluations assessing public institutions' anti-corruption activities during their tenure. Candidate Park Sang-yeol, while serving as director of the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, violated government guidelines during the conversion of dispatched workers to regular positions, including improperly including personnel not eligible for conversion, which led to a Ministry of Science and ICT audit ordering a re-conversion and disciplinary action against the involved individuals.

Additionally, the union conducted public inquiries to these three candidates regarding their motivations for applying, positions on misconduct, and the development direction of government-funded research institutes. Candidate Cho Young-hwa refused to respond entirely, while only Kim Bok-cheol and Park Sang-yeol replied.

The union stated, "There is doubt about the gap between the candidates' submitted convictions and their actual behavior as heads of research institutes," and added, "A passive attitude and uncritical acceptance of ministry or government policies were also confirmed, such as in the abolition of the performance-based budgeting system (PBS) and the operation and democratic election system of the council." The union concluded, "Ultimately, based on these points demonstrated by the candidates, we judge that none of the candidates, including Cho Young-hwa, are sufficiently qualified in terms of capability, leadership, and morality to be entrusted with the important position of chairman of the National Science and Technology Research Council."

The union further stated, "As seen recently in the appointment of Lee Kyung-soo as head of the Science and Technology Innovation Headquarters, the failed personnel policies throughout the Moon Jae-in administration should be brought to a close with this chairman appointment," and added, "That is the only way to meet the expectations of the research field in government-funded research institutes."

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