As the selection of the next presidents of energy state-run corporations such as Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP) and Korea Gas Corporation (KOGAS) is underway, labor unions at each corporation are strongly voicing opposition to certain candidates, drawing attention to the outcome. The unions oppose some figures on grounds including a lack of expertise to serve as president and that they are parachute appointees from politics.
According to the nuclear power industry on the 11th, the shortlist for the next KHNP president has been narrowed to five: four from KHNP and one from KEPCO. The candidates are: ▲ Jeon Hwi-su, former KHNP executive vice president for generation ▲ Kim Beom-nyeon, former KEPCO KPS Co. (KPS) president (former KHNP executive vice president for generation) ▲ Cho Byung-ok, former KHNP head of the Quality and Safety Headquarters ▲ Lee Jong-ho, former KHNP head of the Technology Headquarters ▲ Kim Hoe-cheon, former Korea South-East Power president (former KEPCO executive vice president for management). The list of candidates has been forwarded to the Ministry of Economy and Finance's Public Institution Management Committee.
The KHNP union strongly objects to former Executive Vice President Jeon Hwi-su applying for the open president post and being placed on the Public Institution Management Committee's review list. Jeon previously served as head of Kori Headquarters' Unit 1 and head of Wolseong Headquarters.
The union claims that during the Moon Jae-in administration's process of deciding the early shutdown of Wolseong Unit 1 as part of its nuclear phaseout policy, Jeon, then an executive vice president, helped manipulate the economic feasibility assessment. They held a picket protest on the 28th in front of the KHNP boardroom.
Regarding the union's claim, candidate Jeon Hwi-su said, "At the time the permanent shutdown of Wolseong Unit 1 was decided, I was serving as head of the Generation Division and executive vice president, but the economic feasibility assessment was not my responsibility. It was conducted independently by the Technology Division, so it was not something I could be involved in. If necessary, I am ready to talk with the union at any time."
The Korea Gas Corporation (KOGAS) union also submitted objections to the presidential candidates. The current candidates for KOGAS president are five: ▲ Lee In-gi, former Saenuri Party lawmaker (16th–18th National Assembly) ▲ Ko Young-tae, former Korea Gas Technology Corporation (KOGAS-Tech) president ▲ Kim Jeom-su, former KOGAS headquarters chief ▲ Lee Seung, former KOGAS executive vice president for management ▲ Lee Chang-gyun, former KOLNG branch head.
The union argues that candidate Lee In-gi, a former politician, lacks job expertise. A senior conservative figure, Lee formed ties with the current administration when Lee Jae-myung was a presidential candidate and he was brought in as a co-chair of the Central Election Committee. The union also worries that because Lee spent most of his time as a lawmaker on the Public Administration and Security Committee, his overall understanding of the natural gas industry is low.
It went on to criticize candidate Lee Seung, who is from KOGAS, as someone who harms organizational culture and wrecked labor-management relations. It said candidate Kim Jeom-su prioritizes personal career management and external reputation over publicness and the public interest. It argues candidates Ko Young-tae and Lee Chang-gyun are unfit to be president because they have not shown standout performance. In effect, the union is opposing all candidates.
An official at a state-run corporation said, "Each time a new president is set to arrive, unions tend to engage in a power struggle over fitness," adding, "There is an expectation that the Lee Jae-myung administration will side with unions, so recently the voices of opposition have tended to grow louder."
Meanwhile, the KHNP and KOGAS presidents are expected to be appointed as early as the end of this month. KHNP has been run by acting president Jeon Dae-uk since the resignation of former President Hwang Ju-ho was accepted in September last year. KOGAS President Choi Yeon-hye's three-year term ended on the 8th of last month, but she will remain in the post until the procedure to appoint the next president is completed.