Jang Je-won to Kwon Seong-dong: "Your words are harsh... People see the attitude, not the content"

Drawing the Line on Mention of Private Recruitment

On the 29th, Jang Je-won, a member of the National Assembly, greeted attendees at the policy debate on the establishment of the 'Police Administration Support Department' to enhance democratic operation and efficiency of the police, hosted by the People Power Party Policy Committee at the National Assembly Members' Office Building. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] On the 18th, Jang Je-won, a member of the People Power Party, actively clarified the part where Kwon Seong-dong, the acting party leader and floor leader, mentioned him in relation to the recent controversy over the presidential office's 'private recruitment.'

On the same day, Jang posted on his Facebook, saying, "I, who was responsible for personnel at the time, should speak about Kwon's remarks regarding the presidential office personnel," and addressed Acting Leader Kwon, saying, "Your words are very harsh."

He said, "No matter how correct the explanation is, harsh expressions such as 'putting pressure,' 'how can you live in Seoul on minimum wage, you country bumpkin from Gangneung,' should be avoided," and pointed out, "'The people judge not only the content of the words but also the attitude.'

He continued, "I am posting remarks related to Mr. Woo, who was appointed to the Social Affairs Secretariat," and said, "I never received any pressure from Representative Kwon. I only received recommendations." He added, "As the chief secretary to the president-elect, who was reorganizing the presidential office in just over a month, there was a practical difficulty in having to make appointments based on various recommendations," and explained, "We created appointment criteria by appropriately distributing the candidates recommended through these various channels." He further added, "I handed over the materials, including resumes and self-introductions, to the personnel team without revealing who recommended them, and I understand that the personnel team assigned ranks and selected candidates considering their reputation, abilities, election contributions, and career."

Jang also emphasized, "I do not recall that Representative Kwon requested a Grade 7 position but it became Grade 9, and Mr. Woo was also assigned a rank considering his work ability, career, and election contributions," and stressed, "As the chief secretary to the president-elect, I did not care about the status of the recommenders at all, and I am confident that our personnel team trusted me and worked with conviction."

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