Controversy over the appointment of public enterprise officials from Seongnam

As figures who had been active together in a civic group in the Seongnam area were appointed as heads of stateowned companies related to climate and energy, controversy was raised over the fairness of the hiring and appointment process. According to National Assembly data, Ha Donggeun, who was appointed president of Korea District Heating Corporation, received low scores in the document screening and interview stages but was ultimately elevated to president. Ha is known to have formed ties with President Lee Jaemyung and Kim Hyunji, the chief of the Presidential Secretariat’s First Office, while working as an environmental activist in Seongnam. In another case, Nam Kwangwoo, former fulltime vice chairman, who was appointed head of the Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute, is also reported to have taken office as president by surpassing an applicant who ranked first in the evaluation scores. The opposition argued that it is necessary to examine whether there was outside pressure from the Presidential Office and whether the personnel appointment process was proper.