‘Disciplinary action only’ or ‘impunity’: a bitter aftertaste left by the controversy over abuse of power by the chairman of Korea Job World > News

It is no exaggeration to say that the essence of this situation is the ultimate in moral hazard shown by the heads of public institutions. As a result of an investigation by the Seongnam branch of the Ministry of Employment and Labor, Chairman Lee trampled on employees' legal rights to maternity leave for their spouses and forced them to work, and did not hesitate to engage in unreasonable behavior, such as tearing up reports in front of the secretary. These actions go beyond simple personality issues and clearly reveal the lack of qualifications of leaders who do not even know how to wield power within an organization. Even though the Ministry of Labor finally recognized this as workplace harassment and issued a corrective order, the purification function within the organization did not work immediately.

Not only the harassment, but also the corruption situation throughout the operation of the institution is shocking. As a result of a specific audit by the Ministry of Labor, Chairman Lee engaged in arbitrariness bordering on personnel solicitation, such as unfairly interfering with the appointment of his acquaintance as a non-executive director. In addition, transparency in the execution of public funds was seriously undermined by using business expenses for private meals and falsely recording the number of attendees to rationalize the use. The top decision-maker, who is responsible for the integrity of the institution, took the lead in violating the regulations, which can be considered a serious breach of trust that shakes the foundation of the operation of a public institution.

Above all, the lukewarm response of the board of directors revealed during this disciplinary process is raising doubts in many people. The disciplinary agenda was consistently delayed, with deliberation being put on hold several times, and ultimately resulted in a one-month suspension. Considering that Chairman Lee's term ends at the end of July, the union is strongly criticizing this disciplinary action as in fact a 'compromise to preserve his term'. Since the possibility of returning to work after the suspension period ends cannot be ruled out, there are constant concerns in the field about secondary harm or retaliatory personnel actions that may be experienced by employees who have raised issues.

This incident went beyond the problems of a specific organization, Korea Job World, and exposed the limitations of the system for appointing heads of public institutions, represented by parachute appointments. The current structural weakness, in which the mechanism for checking heads of institutions only exists in a formal way and does not actually block or control misconduct, is the cause of this situation. The union points out that this disciplinary action falls short of social standards and the public's expectations, and is demanding a high level of integrity, sensitivity to human rights, and professionalism as an educational institution from the next leader. This case teaches a painful lesson to our society about how leadership that forgets its public responsibilities leaves an impact on an organization.