Lee Hyeon-sik, a former administrative management director of Seongdong-gu who served under then-District Mayor Jeong Won-o, has been found ineligible in an employment screening for the top post at the Seongdong-gu Urban Management Corporation.
Lee retired effective Jan. 1 this year. The Seoul Metropolitan Government recently reviewed whether the former official could take up a position at a subordinate agency and determined he would not be permitted to serve as the corporation's chairman.
Under the Public Service Ethics Act, officials subject to employment screening are barred from joining screened institutions for three years after retirement. However, they may take up such a position within that three-year window if they receive confirmation that their pre-retirement duties had no close connection to the institution in question, or if they obtain formal approval.
Lee is reported to have first built ties with Jeong when the former district mayor was serving as a senior executive at the corporation and Lee was on secondment from Seongdong-gu. He was subsequently regarded as a close aide to Jeong for many years.
Lee also worked as an aide to candidate Yu Bo-hwa during the last local elections, a demanding role. District Mayor Yu is understood to have sought to appoint Lee as chairman of the Seongdong-gu Facilities Corporation in recognition of that service.
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
