Numerous people with ties to the ruling Democratic Party, including former election campaign staff, were appointed as executives at public institutions under the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs this year.
According to data submitted by the ministry to Council member Cho Seung-hwan of the opposition People Power Party on the 6th, at least nine of the executives appointed this year to public institutions under the ministry — excluding agency heads — had direct political backgrounds such as Democratic Party posts, election campaigns or legislative aide roles. The figure rises to 11 when including those who worked under Democratic Party local government chiefs, such as during Park Won-soon's Seoul city administration and Lee Jae-myung's Gyeonggi Province administration. Over the same period, no newly appointed executive was found to have ties to the People Power Party.
The appointments were concentrated at a handful of agencies. All 11 were placed at four of the 13 public institutions under the ministry, including the Korea Racing Authority and the National Agriculture Museum. The contrast with other ministries was stark. At the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, which oversees more public institutions at 18, only two appointees with Democratic Party ties were identified over the same period.
In one case, an executive was appointed after publicly entering an election race. Kim, a former non-standing director at the Korea Institute for Animal Products Quality Evaluation who had served as head of the Democratic Party's Chungcheongnam-do chapter public relations committee, formally launched a campaign on March 19 by announcing the opening of a local election office. Eleven days later, on the 30th, the agriculture minister appointed Kim as a non-standing director following multiple nominations by an executive recommendation committee. The next day, Kim was confirmed as the Democratic Party's candidate for the Chungcheongnam-do provincial council.
After winning the election, Kim stepped down from the executive post in less than three months. Kim ran in the Seosan 3 district for the Chungcheongnam-do provincial council in the June 3 local elections and won. The resignation from the directorship at the Korea Institute for Animal Products Quality Evaluation took effect 19 days later, on June 22.
Appointments of people with political backgrounds continued at other agencies. A former deputy chair of the Democratic Party's farmers and fishermen committee became a non-standing director at the National Agriculture Museum. Two non-standing directors at the Korea Institute of Planning and Evaluation for Technology in Food, Agriculture and Forestry had worked, respectively, at the policy think tank of Lee Jae-myung during his presidential campaign and at the Democratic Party's Jeollanam-do chapter. The Korea Institute for Animal Products Quality Evaluation also appointed a person who had served as an organizational aide to presidential candidate Roh Moo-hyun during the 17th presidential election.
The Korea Racing Authority showed the highest concentration. Five of the 11 were identified as executives there. The standing audit committee member previously headed the Democratic Party's Chungju district committee in Chungcheongbuk-do. Two non-standing directors had experience as National Assembly legislative aides. Also included was Lee, a vice chairman who served as director general of welfare for Gyeonggi Province during President Lee Jae-myung's tenure as governor. A former presidential secretary for agriculture, oceans and fisheries under the Moon Jae-in administration also serves as a non-standing director.
"A political career is not in itself a disqualification for appointment, but executive posts at public institutions must not become rewards for service to a particular party," Cho said. "Through the parliamentary audit, I will examine whether those appointed this year have expertise suited to their agencies' duties and in what respects they were superior to other candidates."
Meanwhile, Hong Moon-pyo, president of the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT) and a four-term People Power Party council member appointed under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, was dismissed on the 30th of last month. The dismissal was finalized after a ministry service audit, a recommendation for removal and presidential approval. Hong, who took office in August 2024, left the post with about 11 months remaining in his three-year term.
