Park Suhyun "President Yoon's commute Q&A sparked both envy and concern"

"Format, Content, and Attitude Should Be Taken More Seriously"
"Private Hiring Controversy, Excluding Acquaintances and Conflicts of Interest Is Basic"

Former Blue House Senior Secretary for Public Communication Park Su-hyun. / Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Ju-hee] Park Soo-hyun, former Blue House Chief of Public Communication under the Moon Jae-in administration, commented on President Yoon Suk-yeol's brief Q&A sessions during his commute (doorstepping), saying, "There was a mix of envy and concern, wondering 'What if he does better than us?'"

On the 19th, Park appeared on TBS Radio's "Shin Jang-sik's Shin Jang Open" and said, "When the doorstepping was first introduced, I was very worried. The format was very fresh and well adopted."

However, he added, "The content and attitude will now be the issue; I was actually concerned about this," and said, "It would be good if the President approached the format, content, and his answering attitude a bit more seriously."

Regarding the recent controversy over 'private hiring' at the Presidential Office, Park pointed out, "Special hiring can be done, but everything must be verified according to procedures and hired according to the law," adding, "How can a son be hired at the Presidential Office when his father is a member of a specific regional election commission?"

On the 16th, it was revealed that Woo Mo, a Grade 9 administrative officer working in the Presidential Office's Civil Society Secretariat, was recommended by Kwon Seong-dong, acting leader of the People Power Party and floor leader. Woo's father is a member of the Gangneung City Election Commission in Gangwon Province, raising conflict of interest concerns. Woo's father is also known to be a longtime acquaintance of President Yoon. Gangneung is also Kwon's electoral district.

In response, Park said, "Since Floor Leader Kwon Seong-dong made the recommendation, either the verification was not done using the floor leader's influence, or the level of verification was significantly low, thinking 'This issue might be okay' (such problems could have occurred)," adding, "(Having a father as an election commissioner) should be grounds for disqualification."

He continued, "Even if one has ability and expertise, if there is a personal relationship or conflict of interest, disqualification should be the basic rule," emphasizing, "This issue should be promptly reviewed by the Presidential Secretariat, and they should apologize to the public, saying, 'We really did not know that we should not hire like this.'"

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