Ex-Election Commission Chief Gets 2 Years for Son's Hiring Abuse

A former high-ranking official in South Korea's National Election Commission has been sentenced to two years in prison for abusing his power to secure a job for his son. Kim Se-hwan, former Secretary General of the commission, was found guilty by the Incheon District Court of influencing his son's hiring within the organization. The court handed down the sentence on Tuesday.

The court emphasized the severity of Kim's actions, stating they eroded the fundamental belief in fairness and the principle that effort leads to reward. "The defendant's crime has undermined the fundamental belief in fair competition and fairness that our society holds," the court stated. It further noted that Kim's conduct, carried out under the guise of the commission's constitutionally guaranteed independence, negatively impacted the development of a sound public service culture, deeming the offense highly blameworthy and severe.

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The defendant's crime has undermined the fundamental belief in fair competition and fairness that our society holds.

Despite the prison sentence, Kim was not taken into custody. The court cited a lack of perceived risk of evidence destruction or flight. Kim, who served as Deputy Secretary General at the time, was accused of exerting influence in 2019 to ensure his son, then a public official in Ganghwa County, was hired as an Grade 8 official at the Ganghwa County Election Commission. He also faced charges for allegedly lowering qualification standards to facilitate his son's transfer to the Incheon City Election Commission a year later and for arranging a non-face-to-face interview process. The indictment also included charges of providing his son with official housing in violation of regulations.

Kim denied the charges, but the court largely sided with the testimony of commission employees, finding him guilty on all counts except for the non-face-to-face interview aspect. This case is part of a series of allegations involving preferential hiring and promotion of children of high-ranking officials within the Election Commission that surfaced starting in 2023. An audit by the Board of Audit and Inspection in February last year revealed 32 current and former officials involved in personnel irregularities.

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The commission's independent status guaranteed by the Constitution was undermined by these crimes, which negatively impacted the development of a sound public service culture.