[Reporter’s Notebook] From Sexual Harassment to Security Breaches... This Is the Ministry of Unification

Senior Official Dismissed for Sexual Harassment
Even High-Ranking Officials Disciplined for Security Breaches
Ministry's Existence Questioned with Each Administration Change
Urgent Need to Restore Discipline

In the past five years, 19 Ministry of Unification officials have been disciplined for various misconducts. Among them are senior officials dismissed for sexual harassment and high-ranking officials who violated confidentiality obligations. Although this is a familiar statistic that appears regularly during national audits, it is a particularly painful point for the Ministry of Unification, which just a month ago faced criticism for its 'North Korea Support Division' amid a reduction of over 80 personnel.

According to data submitted by the Ministry of Unification to Tae Young-ho, a member of the People Power Party, on the 6th, out of the 19 officials disciplined from 2019 to July this year, five committed the so-called 'three major misconducts of public officials': sexual crimes, bribery, and drunk driving.

What stands out is the disciplinary action taken against the 'Senior Executive Service.' Senior officials are those directly below ministers and vice ministers, such as bureau and department heads, and the fact that disciplinary measures were taken against them is a serious issue. In June, one senior official received a reprimand for violating security regulations. This came after the National Intelligence Service conducted a security inspection and diagnosed that the internal network of the National Election Commission was so vulnerable that it could be penetrated by North Korea. The Ministry of Unification also holds a wealth of information ranging from intelligence on North Korea to our North Korea policy, so this indicates a security awareness gap starting from senior officials.

There are also cases that raise doubts about whether the behavior of government officials is appropriate. In March last year, right after the presidential election, two employees were disciplined for 'mutual assault,' and another official was docked two months' pay for theft. There were four cases involving interference in the hiring of contract workers, bribery, and embezzlement of public funds, and three disciplinary actions for drunk driving. There are also two cases of drunk driving this year alone where disciplinary procedures have not yet been carried out because police investigations are ongoing.

The Ministry of Unification is a department easily swayed by the political orientation of the administration. This is due to its 'inherent duality' of needing to unify the territory while also coaxing dialogue with the enemy, North Korea. The problem lies in the Ministry's atmosphere, which has become complacent in the process. The perception that "during conservative administrations, when inter-Korean relations enter a tense phase, it is a time to take a break" is typical. It is a reasonable inference that the Ministry’s tendency to watch the political winds interacts with the lax discipline that causes 'poor-quality misconduct.'

Whether the reduction of over 80 personnel marks the beginning of change or a step toward abolition depends on how the Ministry of Unification responds. If it does not want to face the 'existence crossroads' again, it must first restore the broken discipline among its members.

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