[Column] Parachute Candidates Eyeing Public Office at End of Regime

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Haeyoung] The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy will establish a new Energy Vice Minister position on the 9th of next month to envision the future vision of our economy, including carbon neutrality. Although it strongly serves as compensation for the Ministry of Industry and Trade, which led the 'nuclear phase-out' policy at the forefront, the importance of the Energy Vice Minister role, which must prepare for the future through energy transition, cannot be denied.

Speculation about the Energy Vice Minister position is already rampant. The Blue House is reportedly conducting verification on three candidates for the Energy Vice Minister: Kang Kyungseong, Director of Industrial Policy, and Joo Youngjun, Director of Energy Resources, both from within the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and Lim Chuntaek, former President of the Korea Energy Technology Evaluation Institute, an external candidate.

The unexpected appointment is former President Lim. He served as an administrative officer at the Blue House during the Roh Moo-hyun administration, was an academic during the Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye administrations, then participated in President Moon Jae-in’s election campaign, formulating policies such as the 4th Industrial Revolution Committee. Afterwards, he served as President of the Korea Energy Technology Evaluation Institute, was part of the Presidential Policy Planning Committee, and is currently active in the Carbon Neutrality Committee. Anyone can see he is a 'parachute' figure with ties to the current administration.

The creation of the Vice Minister position shows how important energy has become. In the face of the massive trend of carbon neutrality, it is a heavy responsibility to lead carbon reduction in the industrial and energy sectors and prepare for 30 to 50 years ahead. It is also the last bastion that can put the brakes on the carbon neutrality acceleration policies led by environmentalists under the current administration. The candidate must have experience in both industrial and energy issues and be capable of establishing realistic carbon neutrality policies.

The harms of parachute appointments have already been experienced. The reckless nuclear phase-out policy pushed by former Minister Baek Woon-gyu, an academic appointed as the first Minister of Industry and Trade in this administration, caused significant harm to the public. If a person with insufficient understanding of energy policy becomes the Energy Vice Minister, the damage will also be borne by the public. Considering that next year’s presidential election is just around the corner, a non-expert cannot be allowed to waste several months adapting to the job. Even the Blue House, which advocates carbon neutrality, should not treat the Energy Vice Minister position as a reward to be distributed based on political favors.

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