Raised voices and a gold turtle. On the first day of the second week of the parliamentary audit, the National Assembly's Agriculture. Food. Rural Affairs. Oceans. and Fisheries Committee's audit of the Korea Forest Service and others heated up from the start with a clash over allegations that Presidential Office Deputy Minister Kim Hyun-ji "interfered in personnel matters." The People Power Party demanded that Deputy Minister Kim be called as a witness, saying "the Korea Forest Service administrator's appointment looks like a favor appointment," while the ruling Democratic Party of Korea countered that it was "political strife blocking a policy audit."
That day's audit by the Agriculture and Fisheries Committee saw the ruling and opposition parties collide from the outset. People Power Party lawmaker Lee Man-hee strongly requested adopting First Deputy Minister Kim as a witness through a procedural statement, saying he would ask about the background and circumstances of Korea Forest Service Administrator Kim In-ho's appointment, and the Democratic Party immediately put on the brakes.
Lawmaker Ju Cheol-hyeon criticized, "Aside from the fact that they once worked for the same organization in Seongnam, the People Power Party has not presented any concrete circumstances." He then noted that Administrator Kim self-nominated through the public recommendation system and rebutted, "If Deputy Minister Kim is such a power broker that could control all personnel matters and intervened in the appointment of the Korea Forest Service administrator, Administrator Kim would not have needed to recommend himself. That in itself is proof that the appointment of the Korea Forest Service administrator proceeded transparently according to procedure." He added, "If Administrator Kim worked in a Seongnam civic group for a long time, it is only natural that President Lee would be well aware of Administrator Kim's résumé and abilities. Do not disrupt the audit by picking the wrong person as a problem."
But during the substantive questioning, opposition lawmakers poured out allegations about the relationship between Deputy Minister Kim and Administrator Kim.
People Power Party lawmaker Kang Myung-gu said, "There is talk that Deputy Minister Kim Hyun-ji is pulling the strings in minister-level personnel. There is a reasonable suspicion that Administrator Kim's appointment was also made out of personal ties to Deputy Minister Kim and as a favor," adding, "He self-nominated in the public recommendation system, which defies common sense. Did you receive any word that doing so would pose no problem?"
Administrator Kim answered, "Not at all." When asked, "When and from whom did you receive contact when you were appointed administrator?" he said, "I learned from media reports."
Lawmaker Cho Seung-hwan of the same party pressed, "It is absurd that you say you learned by reading the media without any notification while we are trying to determine the appointment process," adding, "You say you submitted vetting documents to the personnel secretary's office in late July, but there was no personnel secretary at the time."
There was also continued criticism of Administrator Kim's "self-recommendation" through the public recommendation system. People Power Party lawmaker Lee Man-hee said, "There is a field where one can recommend oneself, but looking at the contents, we are pointing out whether the parts emphasizing the period of personal activities with Deputy Minister Kim Hyun-ji or President Lee Jae-myung are fair, and whether this raises suspicions of a favor appointment," adding, "While working together in a group called Seongnam Agenda 21, it appears you and Deputy Minister Kim maintained a continuous cooperative relationship as director general and chair of the policy evaluation committee, playing a role in justifying various administrative acts of Seongnam City." Lawmaker Jung Hee-yong of the same party also sharpened his tone, saying, "Being appointed administrator on the basis of a self-recommendation that emphasizes past ties does not meet the public's expectations and runs counter to fairness and common sense."
The People Power Party also delved into controversy over materials prepared for the "Baekhyeon-dong project" during President Lee Jae-myung's tenure as Gyeonggi governor and activities with Seongnam Agenda 21. Lawmaker Jung asked, "You served as a deliberation member of the Environmental Impact Assessment Council established by Seongnam City and said, 'It is necessary to gather opinions from local environmental groups.' Yet you wrote 'opinion letter of the environmental group Seongnam Agenda 21' and put deliberation member 'Kim In-ho.' Are the Environmental Impact Assessment Council deliberation member Kim In-ho and the Seongnam Agenda 21 Kim In-ho the same person?" Administrator Kim said, "The same person," but explained, "I did not write it; another firm prepared the report using my opinion letter. I have never entered the name as an environmental group."
The Democratic Party countered by defining the allegations about Administrator Kim as "for political strife." Lawmaker Moon Geum-ju said, "If you start vetting even freely formed personal networks, there is no end. What would you say if people claimed that those connected to Yoon Suk-yeol, former prosecutors, and people who played roles in the presidential campaign received personnel favors? There are many policy questions related to the Korea Forest Service, and this is a waste of time."
Lawmaker Song Ok-joo also said, "Wasn't it that he believed he had expertise and therefore recommended himself in the public recommendation system?" adding, "The administrator must feel upset and wronged."
Lawmaker Lim Mi-ae, after mentioning allegations that National Education Commission Chair Lee Bae-yong, former prosecutor Kim Sang-min, and former Prime Minister's Chief of Staff Park Seong-geun each handed a gold turtle, an expensive painting, and a luxury necklace to first lady Kim Keon-hee, asked, "Did you ever hand (money or valuables) to the (former) chief administrative officer Kim Hyun-ji?" thereby indirectly hitting back with suspicions that Kim intervened in personnel matters.