Ministry of Unification and Education Ministry Accelerate Blacklist Investigation... Testimony Pressures National Research Institute Director to Resign (Comprehensive)

Three Heads of National Research Institutes Resign in a Month
"Pressure to Resign Citing the Chief of Personnel Office"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy reporters Jang Sehee and Jo Seongpil] The prosecution investigating the blacklist allegations in the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy has confirmed that it has called and completed witness investigations of former heads of institutions under the Ministry of Unification and the Ministry of Education who resigned and stepped down. Amid the acceleration of the blacklist investigation of the Moon Jae-in administration, testimonies have emerged that some heads of government-funded research institutes were also pressured to resign.

According to the legal community, the Criminal Division 6 of the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office confirmed that it summoned Son Gwangju, former chairman of the South-North Hana Foundation under the Ministry of Unification, and a former chairman A of a government-funded research institute under the Ministry of Education as witnesses in 2019 for investigation.

Some heads of government-funded research institutes also said they received orders to resign. A, who served as the head of a government-funded research institute under the National Research Council for Economics, Humanities and Social Sciences, said in a phone interview with Asia Economy on the 31st, "The secretary-general of the National Research Council for Economics, Humanities and Social Sciences called and said that the Blue House had already decided to remove me," adding, "No matter how much I resist, I have no choice but to leave." At that time, A still had more than two years left in the term.

When A said he did not want to submit a resignation letter and asked, "Whose will is this?" the then secretary-general replied, "I am listening to the Personnel Chief's Office." The secretary-general also explained that due to the board composition, the government opinion was at least one more, so no matter how much one resists, it was a structure where one had no choice but to leave.

A said, "Three people from the Korea Development Institute (KDI), the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy, and the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs submitted their resignations in December, and at the time, I thought it was strange." Their terms had about 1 year and 11 months, 1 year and 6 months, and 6 months remaining, respectively.

Another head of a government-funded research institute, B, also explained the atmosphere at the time in a phone interview with Asia Economy, saying, "I did not voluntarily submit my resignation," and "It was an unavoidable situation." B said that if the prosecution investigation is necessary, he would provide more detailed statements then.

C, a head of a government-funded research institute who voluntarily submitted a resignation, said that after the Moon administration took office, it used the word "deep-rooted evils" and pressured those appointed during the previous administration to resign. C explained, "It felt like a typhoon was coming from afar," adding, "The overall atmosphere at the time was to drive out the deep-rooted evils." In fact, shortly after the Moon Jae-in administration took office, about ten heads of government-funded research institutes left their posts without completing their terms.

Earlier in 2019, the Liberty Korea Party filed a complaint with the prosecution, alleging that there were also resignation pressures on heads of various subordinate institutions including the Prime Minister's Office, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Science and ICT. As the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office speeds up the investigation into the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's 'blacklist' allegations, a comprehensive investigation into other ministries is expected.

At the time, Kim Do-eup, head of the fact-finding team, said, "There is evidence that resignation pressures were applied not only to heads of public institutions under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Ministry of Science and ICT but also to heads of government-funded research institutes under the Office for Government Policy Coordination who were appointed by the previous administration," adding, "The prosecution must swiftly and thoroughly investigate the blacklist allegations that were carried out across all ministries since the Moon Jae-in administration took office, as the investigation has been delayed for the past three years."

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