Anyone could tell you that it is a ¡°parachute appointment¡± when Oh Hong-keun, the former senior presidential secretary for public affairs, is sent to head up the state-run Korea Gas Safety Corporation. Oh has always worked with the press. For twenty-eight months he served as government spokesman, then he served for around four months as senior press secretary before being shuffled out of the cabinet at the end of January. Sending him off less than a month later to head up a state-run corporation is hasty and in particular does not look good.
His appointment brings this government¡¯s arbitrary and political appointment of its people to state-run corporations back to the forefront, and it is inconsistent with President Kim Dae-jung¡¯s promises last year about reforming the way appointments are made. Currently the presidents of state-run companies go through a formal committee procedure, but former government bureaucrat that Oh is, he rode the whole way on the influence of government insiders and influential politicians. It goes against President Kim¡¯s promises to ¡°never make parachute appointments.¡± Oh¡¯s appointment is also a far cry from the government¡¯s promises about requiring ¡°expertise¡± for such positions.
The Korea Gas Safety Corporation works to promote safety and awareness, and is supervised by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Energy. Being a journalist who later headed up Cheong Wa Dae public relations, Oh has no experience whatsoever that is relevant to the job. The political gift-giving of appointments to people lacking experience and expertise has led to an inability of people in such positions to take charge of their organizations, and their lack of know-how in the areas required are proven problems, even to the point where it has gotten in the way of the government¡¯s own restructuring efforts.
In his official capacity, Oh issued no less than four formal statements of support for the tax investigation of news media companies, all after the results of the investigation were announced. He was at the center of conflict with the domestic and international media, frequently calling for rebuttals to the International Press Institute and the US media. Maybe he is being rewarded for his services to the government, but he will be remembered to us as the man who led the charge in the suppression of the press.
(February 22, 2002)
See our list of related articles titled
"Press Under Siege."
