During the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, the Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Finance and Economy took a job as a research fellow at the Institute for Future Policy Studies at Sungkyunkwan University. Once again, not a single public official applied for a job review to work at Coupang, which had sparked controversy for hiring a large number of former officials and politicians.
The Government Public Officials Ethics Committee on the 6th released the results of reviews for 82 cases in which retired public officials requested job reviews. Under current law, Grade-4 or higher public officials and executives of public institutions must undergo a prior job review if they seek reemployment at a review-subject institution within three years of retirement.
If it is determined there is no close job-related connection between the work of the department or agency to which the person belonged during the five years before retirement and the prospective employer, a decision of "eligible for employment" or "employment approved" is issued. Employment approval applies when job relatedness is recognized but an exception specified by law is found to apply.
According to the review results, this Deputy Minister retired in Nov. last year and in Feb. this year took a job as a research fellow at the Institute for Future Policy Studies at Sungkyunkwan University. The committee ruled "eligible for employment," saying there was no close job-related connection.
By contrast, two former National Tax Service officials were denied employment. A Grade-4 National Tax Service official planned to become an auditor at Kumho HT, and a Grade-6 tax official planned to work at Leejeong Tax Corporation, but both were not approved.
There were three employment restrictions. The committee imposed employment restrictions on a Korean National Police Agency inspector becoming the head of an architecture office; an executive of the Korea Agency of Education, Promotion and Information Service in Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery (EPIS) becoming a vice chairman at the Korea Seed Association; and a Grade-1 official at the Korea Radioactive Waste Agency becoming a director at an engineering company.
In this review, not a single public official applied for a job review to work at Coupang. Coupang previously drew controversy for a "government-affairs-centric" management approach that hired many former officials and politicians. In particular, it became controversial when it was revealed in June last year that Grade-5 and Grade-6 officials at the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) moved en masse to Coupang. In response, Minister Kim Young-hoon of the Ministry of Employment and Labor instructed, "If you contact them, consider your career ruined."
Meanwhile, the committee asked the competent courts to impose fines in three cases where individuals, despite being subject to job review, took jobs without prior review. In such cases, the court may impose fines of up to 10 million won.
The committee also imposed fines on 69 people who took jobs without approval in the first half of last year. If they later receive a "denied employment" or "employment restricted" decision from the ethics committee, their employment is canceled.