Election Commission "Apologizes to the Public for Hiring Corruption... No More Local Government Career Recruitment in the Future" (Update)

The National Election Commission apologized on the 4th for controversies surrounding unfair hiring practices and stated that it will actively participate in discussions on control measures by the National Assembly. It also decided to consider the formation of a temporary special committee led by external personnel.

In a press release on the same day, the Commission said, "We deeply apologize once again to the public for issues related to the hiring of some senior officials' children based on career experience and lax discipline, as revealed by the audit inspection results announced by the Board of Audit and Inspection on the 27th of last month." It added, "Since the audit inspection by the Board of Audit and Inspection has not yet concluded, disciplinary procedures for the employees whose processes were suspended will be promptly and strictly carried out in accordance with relevant regulations."

The Central Election Commission office in Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi Province, 12 days before the 8th nationwide local elections, which are 20 days away. / Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

Regarding allegations of preferential hiring for senior officials' children, after listing previous requests for investigation and disciplinary actions, the Commission explained that to ensure fairness in the hiring process, it will "no longer conduct local government career-based hiring," which had been a subject of controversy.

The Commission stated, "According to the Constitutional Court's decision, the National Election Commission is excluded from the audit inspection jurisdiction of the Board of Audit and Inspection, which is part of the executive branch. However, this does not exclude external controls such as national investigations and audits by the National Assembly, which represents the people. Therefore, if discussions on control measures proceed in the National Assembly, we intend to actively participate."

Furthermore, it said, "We will also actively consider measures such as forming a temporary special committee led by external personnel and will continue relentless self-purification efforts until the public is satisfied."

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