Will the Sim Woo-jung Daughter Hiring Scandal End with Just Staff Discipline?

South Korea's Foreign Ministry has canceled the final hiring of the daughter of former Prosecutor General Sim Woo-jung for a public service researcher position. An internal audit concluded that the candidate, identified as Ms. Sim, did not meet the advertised qualifications and should not have passed the initial document screening. The ministry has requested disciplinary action against three staff members for their alleged improper handling of the recruitment process.

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Are they going to end it by just disciplining the staff members involved?

Ms. Sim had previously worked as a temporary researcher at the ministry's Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security for eight months in 2024. She was then selected as a prospective public service researcher in February of the previous year. However, her hiring was put on hold in March after allegations of insufficient qualifications were raised in the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee. The ministry's recruitment notice specified a requirement for a master's degree in international politics with at least two years of practical experience. Internal scoring sheets indicated a need for two years of practical experience after obtaining a master's degree. Despite this, the ministry reportedly recognized her assistant and research assistant activities before obtaining her master's degree as practical experience.

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The recruitment was put on hold after allegations of insufficient qualifications were raised.

Further questions arise from the ministry's recruitment process. Shortly before hiring Ms. Sim, the ministry advertised for a public service researcher with a master's degree in economics. After interviewing candidates, the chosen applicant was rejected, and the major was subsequently changed to "international politics" to hire Ms. Sim. Adding to the suspicion, the director of the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security at the time of Ms. Sim's recruitment was Park Chul-hee, who had been her graduate school advisor.

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The ministry reportedly recognized her assistant and research assistant activities before obtaining her master's degree as practical experience.

The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) previously cleared former Prosecutor General Sim Woo-jung, former Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, former Institute Director Park Chul-hee, and nine other individuals involved in the hiring process of any wrongdoing in May. After over a year of investigation, the CIO concluded there was insufficient evidence to prove preferential treatment. However, investigations into alleged forgery of career documents related to Ms. Sim and the creation of false official documents by Foreign Ministry officials, which were referred to the police by the CIO, remain stalled. The article questions whether these investigations are being delayed due to the sensitive nature of the case involving the former Prosecutor General.

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Is this a simple mistake, or was it intentional?