Yang Hyang-ja "More than half of Ministry of Industry retirees reemployed at related organizations"

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Amid ongoing controversies over 'parachute appointments' such as high-ranking public officials reemployed by affiliated organizations, it has been revealed that more than half of the retirees subject to employment screening by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) in the past five years have been reemployed by subordinate agencies or related organizations.

On the 6th, according to data submitted by MOTIE to National Assembly member Yang Hyangja (Gwangju Seo-gu Eul), out of 167 retired public officials subject to employment screening in the past five years, 87 were found to have been reemployed by subordinate agencies, affiliated associations, or private companies.

According to the Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice, among the 94 individuals subject to employment screening by MOTIE, 87 received approval or permission to be employed, resulting in an employment approval rate of 92.6%.

The Public Officials Ethics Act restricts retired public officials from being employed by institutions closely related to the departments or duties they were affiliated with before retirement, due to the possibility of unfair influence or hindrance to fair job performance. General service public officials of grade 4 or higher are required to undergo reemployment screening.

It was revealed that MOTIE retirees were reemployed on average within 6 months (6.46 months). Among them, more than half, 44 individuals (50.5%), were reemployed within one month, and 56 individuals (64.3%) were reemployed within three months.

The reemployment destinations of retired MOTIE executives varied, including MOTIE subordinate agencies such as Korea Electric Power Corporation, Korea District Heating Corporation, and Korea Gas Corporation; related associations such as Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association, Korea Iron & Steel Association, and Korea Cement Association; and private companies such as Samsung Electronics, KT, and SK Hynix. Among these, law firms including Kim & Chang were also included.

Assembly member Yang Hyangja stated, “We are well aware that MOTIE officials contribute significantly to our industrial sector after retirement based on their expertise and experience in the industry,” adding, “Since MOTIE is a ministry with closer business relevance to the industrial sector than any other, it must apply stricter standards from the public’s perspective.”

She continued, “We will thoroughly investigate in advance whether retired MOTIE officials have used their influence before retirement and review legislative amendments to establish more rigorous employment screening criteria.”

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