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[WORD_ON_THE_WEB] 'There is no fairness and common sense'

Published: 19 Jul. 2022, 11:43

Last Friday, Kwon Seong-dong, acting head of the People Power Party (PPP), said that he had personally recommended a civil servant surnamed Woo who is at the center of a nepotism scandal after it was revealed that Woo’s father is one of President Yoon Suk-yeol’s acquaintances and was a member of the Gangneung City National Election Commission.

During the presidential election, Woo donated 10 million won (approximately $7,600) to Yoon's campaign.

“After I endorsed Woo for the presidential office and asked Chang Je-won about it, he said Woo wasn’t hired for the role," said Kwon. “He gets paid just a bit more than minimum wage and I felt sorry for him. How could he get by in Seoul? He came up to Seoul from Gangneung, the countryside.”

The Democratic Party criticized Kwon.

“His remarks hurt those who are preparing for the civil service examination,” said Lee Soo-jin, a DP lawmaker. Other members of the party criticized the PPP's double standards and asked for Kwon to apologize.

“Claiming this to be nepotism is an attempt to mislead the people who don’t know about the procedures, methods, and practices of employing general civil servants and governmental officers in special positions,” argued Kwon on Sunday, mentioning Woo’s contribution to the presidential election.

#mocking_the_people
“There is no fairness and common sense in this administration. He’s probably thinking that the young people waiting for the result of the civil service examination are all fools.”
“He is unabashed and confident, showing that he is mocking the people.”

#keep_your_private_life_private
“The presidential office should run a screening for its personnel more thoroughly. Don’t make this happen again.”
“It’s a serious problem. A lawmaker couldn’t keep his private and public life separate and hired his acquaintance for a public post?”

BY LEE SI-YEONG, BY HAN HYE-RIM [[email protected]]