Choi Hwi-young, the Minister candidate of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stated on the 29th that it is necessary to examine the controversy over the 'permanent appointments' of agency heads under the ministry ahead of the change of government.
During a confirmation hearing at the National Assembly's Culture, Sports, and Tourism Committee that day, Choi responded to a question from Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Jo Gye-won. Jo pointed out that Choi's predecessor, Minister Yu In-chon, appointed agency heads hastily ahead of the change of government.
Choi noted, "If appointed as Minister, I will review whether there were any issues in the appointment process of agency heads, including whether there was any haste or problems in the procedures or content."
However, he said, "I learned about the personnel controversy through media reports," and mentioned, "There are aspects that make it inappropriate to judge from the outside about matters related to personnel." It is interpreted that he has delayed judgment on whether real problems exist in the personnel process.
According to lawmaker Jo Gye-won, former Minister Yu In-chon appointed or approved Kim Sang-wook as the head of the Asia Culture Center Foundation and Jeong Yong-wook as the representative of the Korean Artists Welfare Foundation in April. In May, he appointed Kim Myung-kyu as the president of the Asia Culture Center Foundation and Woo Sang-il as the representative of the National Cultural Space Foundation.
Furthermore, former Korea Heritage Service head Choi Eung-cheon has faced controversy for having conducted 'permanent appointments' when he appointed Lee Kwi-young as the head of the Korea Heritage Agency in May ahead of the change of government.
Regarding allegations of corruption related to admissions and hiring at the National Traditional Arts High School, he mentioned, "I heard that the school also has poor reports on budget usage," and said, "I understand the hiring of a new principal is also currently in progress, and I will look into it closely."
According to Jeong Jae-won, a member of the Rebuilding Korea Party, allegations were raised that the National Traditional Arts High School pre-appointed candidates for passing practical exams for admission and received money in exchange for passing in the teacher recruitment process. It is reported that police are currently conducting an investigation into this matter.