A top official of the National Election Commission (NEC) on Tuesday rejected allegations that his daughter was hired by the election watchdog thanks to his influence, saying he would resign if the allegations prove to be true.
"If I have to take legal responsibility for a 'dad's chance,' I, of course, will do so," NEC Secretary General Park Chan-jin said during a parliamentary public administration committee meeting in response to a question from Rep. Cho Eun-hee of the ruling People Power Party.
A "dad's chance" refers to favors children are given due to the influence of their fathers.
Asked whether taking responsibility would include resignation, Park said, "Yes."
Last week, a local media outlet reported that Park's daughter and a daughter of Park's deputy, Song Bong-seop, were found to have been hired as NEC employees stationed in regional offices in 2022 and 2018, respectively.
Park flatly denied such allegations, saying the commission adheres to strict protocols to ensure fairness in the hiring process for experienced positions, such as filling at least half of the hiring panel members tasked with document screening and interviews with outside people.
Park also denied allegations that the watchdog took no action even after multiple warnings from the National Intelligence Service that North Korean hackers tried to penetrate its network.
"We have neither detected cyberattacks by ourselves nor were we notified by an outside agency," he said. "We will beef up capabilities to deal with cyberattacks and take technical support from the intelligence agency."
Source: Yonhap News Agency