Former Prosecutor General Cleared in Daughter's Hiring Probe

South Korea's Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) has cleared former Prosecutor General Sim Woo-jung and several other individuals, including former Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, of charges related to the alleged preferential hiring of Sim's daughter. The CIO announced on May 27 that its investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing.

The investigation centered on allegations that Sim Woo-jung, along with former President of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy Park Cheol-hee, had unlawfully granted preferential treatment to Sim's daughter for a fixed-term researcher position at the academy in 2024. Charges also included suspicions of bribery in exchange for salary.

“

There is no evidence of instructing or hinting at the selection of a specific person.

Further allegations involved the hiring of Sim's daughter as a researcher at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2023, with similar accusations of unlawful preferential treatment and a promised bribe. The CIO also examined claims of preferential treatment and bribery in the selection process for scholarship recipients involving Sim's son between March 2018 and September 2019.

“

Considering that the experience of two other applicants was also recognized before they obtained their master's degrees, it is difficult to conclude that preferential hiring occurred.

While the CIO acknowledged certain irregularities, such as Sim's daughter's qualifications being recognized despite a discrepancy in required experience and the acceptance of late documentation, it concluded that there was insufficient evidence to prove preferential hiring. The office cited a lack of direct evidence indicating instructions or hints to select a specific candidate and noted that Sim's daughter's combined experience could have been mistakenly interpreted as meeting the requirement. Similarly, regarding the Ministry of Foreign Affairs hiring, the CIO found no concrete evidence of preferential treatment, despite noting a change in the advertised major and the acceptance of experience gained before obtaining a master's degree.

Regarding the scholarship allegations, the CIO found no evidence of unlawful selection, as the foundation also awarded scholarships to humanities students, including several others alongside Sim's son during that period. However, the CIO will refer two separate criminal charges to investigative agencies: forgery of private documents related to candidate qualifications and the creation and use of false official documents during internal reporting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The CIO will also notify the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of procedural irregularities discovered during the hiring processes.

“

There is no evidence of unlawful scholarship selection.