All six National Election Commission (NEC) officials embroiled in suspicions of hiring favors for their children did not declare their relations with the hired children in violation of an ethics code, according to a ruling party lawmaker.
The NEC has come under hiring favor suspicions following revelations that children of senior officials joined the agency by applying for experienced positions. The NEC’s secretary-general and his deputy resigned last week, though they claimed their children were hired in a fair and transparent manner.
Four other NEC officials were also found to have children working at the election watchdog.
According to Rep. Lee Man-hee of the ruling People Power Party, all six NEC officials failed to report their relations with the hired children, even though an NEC ethics code required them to do so when close relatives are related to their duties.
That code was later scrapped, as a similar clause was enacted in a broader ethics law.
Lee has also raised suspicions that some of the children won promotions thanks to the influence of their fathers.
Later on Monday, sources close to the ruling party said that a son of former NEC Secretary General Kim Se-hwan was hired by the NEC after winning near perfect scores in job interviews held with colleagues of his father.
Three NEC officials, who attended the interview, were found to have worked with Kim when they were based at the NEC’s branch in the western city of Incheon. Two of the three gave Kim’s son perfect scores in all five categories while the other gave him perfect scores in all but one category, according to the sources.
Source: Yonhap News Agency