The People Power Party's Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City chapter on Wednesday called on Mayor Min Hyeong-bae to disclose the vetting process behind a recent aide appointment and review whether the hiring was appropriate.
In a statement released that day, the PPP chapter criticized the appointment of a person who had been dismissed from Gwangju FC and fined after embezzling season-ticket sales proceeds. The individual had gone on to serve on Min's National Assembly staff and election campaign before being appointed as a Grade 6 special-status personal secretary. "This raises the question of whether political ties took precedence over competence and integrity," the statement said.
The party also argued that the absence of a legal disqualification and the question of whether a person merits public trust are entirely separate matters, urging Min to disclose how much he knew about the past misconduct and what verification steps were taken.
The chapter noted that Gwangsan-gu District Mayor Park Byeong-gyu of the Democratic Party had also requested the appointment be reconsidered, and that a civil servants' union had urged the hiring be canceled. "Mayor Min must review the appropriateness of this appointment and establish objective and rigorous personnel vetting standards," it said.
sij@heraldcorp.com
