Senior scientists protest nepotism by resigning

Five senior members of the Korean Academy of Science and Technology resigned yesterday in response to what they claimed was nepotistic personnel decision making and incompetent management by the organization’s president, Chung Kun-mo. The academy is a non-profit organization for research and consultation on national science and technology policies. Its members include former government officials and university professors. According to academy rules, members must have worked at least for 20 years in science and technology industries, or for at least 10 years in a field related to their university major, and made contributions to the development of science. Um Chung-in, vice president of science and technology policy and one of the five to submit his resignation, said Mr. Chung’s way of running the organization “disappointed many members,” and added, “Under his presidency, we felt our roles as executives had become meaningless.” Others who resigned were Koh Hak-kyun, head of agricultural and fishery sciences; Kim Myung-soo, head of natural sciences; Kim Ki-whan, head of medical sciences; and Park Sang-hui, chief coordinator. Mr. Um said Mr. Chung hired an unqualified friend as director general. The academy management, meanwhile, said the five executives’ sudden resignation was difficult to understand, given that the board of directors has already decided to name one of its lifetime members as a new director general, a move that management said has eliminated all problems. by Shim Jae-woo