Police Investigate 3 Witnesses Involved in Preferential Hiring of Seo Hoon and Park Ji-won

The police summoned three individuals suspected of receiving preferential employment at affiliated organizations of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) during the tenures of former NIS Directors Seo Hoon and Park Ji-won as witnesses for investigation.

Former National Intelligence Service Director Park Ji-won [Photo by Yonhap News]

On the 19th, the Anti-Corruption and Public Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced that they had summoned Mr. Jo, who was hired as the head of the Research Planning Office at the Korea Institute for National Security Strategy (Korea Institute) during former Director Seo's tenure, and Mr. Kang and Mr. Park, who joined the institute as research fellows during former Director Park's tenure, as witnesses last month.

Former Directors Seo and Park are facing charges including abuse of authority and obstruction of the exercise of rights. It is known that former Director Seo hired Mr. Jo, who was affiliated with Moon Jae-in's presidential campaign, in August 2017 despite him not meeting the hiring criteria. Former Director Park is suspected of exerting influence to have Mr. Kang and Mr. Park, who worked as his aides, join the institute without going through separate hiring procedures.

Seo Hoon, former Director of the National Intelligence Service [Image source=Yonhap News]

Former Director Seo appeared for questioning as a suspect on the 10th of last month, and former Director Park on the 1st of this month. The police conducted searches of their residences in May.

The NIS detected suspicious circumstances in the hiring process of Mr. Jo and others through an internal audit and requested a police investigation earlier this year.

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