The secretary general of the National Election Commission (NEC) and his deputy resigned Thursday following allegations of favoritism in the hiring of their children by the election watchdog.
NEC Secretary General Park Chan-jin and Deputy Secretary General Song Bong-sup have been dogged by allegations that their children were hired as NEC employees stationed in regional offices in 2022 and 2018, respectively.
The two “humbly accept criticism from people that has been raised so far and, regardless of the result of an ongoing special inspection, resign to take moral responsibility for the current situation,” the NEC said in a press release.
From the beginning, Song and Park have consistently rejected the allegations, stressing that the hiring of their children was done in a fair and transparent manner and the children received no favors since joining the election agency.
The NEC said that it will continue the inspection and investigate all incumbent and former officials for possible irregularities related to the hiring of their children.
During a parliamentary hearing last week, Park denied any favors, stating that the commission adheres to strict protocols to ensure fairness in the hiring process for experienced positions.
Park’s predecessor, Kim Se-hwan, also resigned after revelations that his son was found to have been hired for an experienced position at the NEC in 2000.
Source: Yonhap News Agency