[Opinion] Institution Heads' 'Albakgi'... Irresponsible National Assembly

Jeon Hyun-hee, Chairperson of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, has been frequently appearing in the news. The Audit Committee, composed mostly of members appointed during the Moon Jae-in administration, recently passed a decision of non-prosecution regarding the audit results on former Chairperson Jeon, choosing not to hold any individual accountable. In response, Chairperson Jeon demanded a public apology for what she called a "false and fabricated targeted audit." She also warned, "If the matters decided as non-prosecution by the Audit Committee are included in the report and made public, I will take strong legal action against all related personnel of the Board of Audit and Inspection."

On the 3rd, Chairperson Jeon held a one-person protest in front of the Board of Audit and Inspection, condemning the targeted audit. It was a rare sight to see a minister-level public official holding a placard and protesting alone. Furthermore, on May 30, she held an emergency press conference, announcing, "We will begin an investigation into allegations of preferential hiring of children by the National Election Commission and actively investigate the virtual asset holdings of members of the National Assembly." However, Kim Tae-gyu, Vice Chairperson of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission appointed by the current administration, rebutted, saying, "There was no prior internal discussion," and questioned, "Is it appropriate for a press conference to be held unilaterally by the Chairperson on issues that have drawn public attention?" The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission has become divided under one roof, and Chairperson Jeon, appointed during the Moon Jae-in administration and affiliated with the Democratic Party, has become a persona non grata in the current government because she insists on completing her term. Although she has been excluded from attending Cabinet meetings and treated coldly by the current administration, she has steadfastly maintained her commitment to serve her full term regardless.

The issue of the tenure of heads of public institutions appointed by previous administrations becomes highly contentious when power changes hands between ruling parties. Legally, there is no problem with completing the guaranteed term. However, politically, it may not be wise to resist stepping down when the government changes and the national policy direction shifts. During the Moon Jae-in administration, there were pressures to remove heads of public institutions appointed during the Park Geun-hye administration, and the "Ministry of Environment blacklist" incident even caused legal issues. This dilemma is one that both ruling and opposition parties have commonly faced regardless of who holds power.

From the public’s perspective, this vicious cycle is unwelcome. The image of the Chairperson of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, whose duty is to prevent corruption and resolve public grievances, becoming a fighter against the current ruling power may reflect personal political conviction but is unrelated to the public interest. Debating whether the ruling party’s harsh pressure caused this or whether the Chairperson’s stance came first is pointless. Both sides have their own reasons and justifications. In such cases, reflecting on past political history and considering political propriety is a wise approach.

The ongoing conflict surrounding the dismissal of Shim Sung-bo, Director of the Presidential Archives, and Han Sang-hyuk, Chairman of the Korea Communications Commission, is also unresolved. Since there was bipartisan consensus on the need for institutional reform, several bills to align the terms of the President and heads of public institutions were introduced in the National Assembly long ago. However, the legislature has wasted time, and there is no promise of when the law will be amended. This is an irresponsible display of the National Assembly doing nothing while allowing the vicious cycle to continue. While both ruling and opposition parties share responsibility, the Democratic Party, as the majority party in the National Assembly, bears a significant portion of the blame. Instead of merely responding politically by calling it a "purge," they have a responsibility to lead institutional reforms to prevent "term entrenchment." Otherwise, we are headed toward another presidential election under the same circumstances.

Yoo Chang-sun, Political Commentator

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