Seoul: The presidential audit agency has revealed a decade-long pattern of employment irregularities within Korea's election commissions, highlighting widespread corruption in the hiring processes.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Board of Audit and Inspection discovered 878 instances of corruption in 291 recruitment exercises conducted by the commissions from 2013 to 2023. Not a single recruitment was found to be free of malpractice.
The investigation unearthed that officials, ranging from high-ranking to mid-level positions, were involved in exerting influence to secure employment for their children or relatives within the election commissions. Personnel and recruiting managers engaged in illegal practices by bypassing public job advertisements and internally deciding to hire the children of commission employees who requested favors. Interview panels were manipulated, consisting entirely of insiders familiar with the candidates whose recruitment was being influenced, thus skewing the interview scores.
A notable case involved a former secretary-general of the National Election Commission who influenced a local election commission to hire his son. Similarly, a former deputy secretary requested a provincial commission to recommend his daughter for a career position, leading to her employment while other applicants were left in the dark about their rejection.
Further investigations revealed that a mid-level manager had been absent from work without notice for 100 days and falsely claimed sick leave for 81 days over eight years, resulting in an overpayment of 38 million won ($26,000) in salary. Another official took a two-year leave for law school, despite a ban on such leave, and no corrective actions were taken by the National Election Commission.
Despite receiving a public letter exposing these employment favors, the NEC's internal audit concluded there was no issue. When the Board of Audit and Inspection initiated an investigation, commission officials attempted to destroy relevant documents and coerced employees into providing false statements. Additionally, the commission misled legislators by denying the existence of files on employees' relatives working within the commissions.
Following these revelations, the National Election Commission requested the Constitutional Court to determine if the board had overstepped its authority. On the day the board's findings were published, the court ruled that the inspection violated the Constitution, citing that it compromised the fairness and neutrality of the independent constitutional body.
The ruling came despite mounting public criticism and previous allegations of employment corruption. The National Election Commission, established in 1963, had never been subject to inspection until 2023, when it permitted a limited investigation into hiring practices. The court's decision has led to questions about how to address corruption within an independent institution that is constitutionally protected from external scrutiny.
With about 3,000 employees across its branches nationwide, the National Election Commission remains a significant organization. The court's ruling has sparked a debate on the need for effective oversight mechanisms to prevent such irregularities while maintaining the commission's independence.