The entire staff of the Planning and Finance Office at the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) has called for the resignation of Chairman Ahn Chang-ho. This marks the first department-level demand for his resignation, following an earlier move by six senior officials who offered to relinquish their posts and called on him to decide his future.
According to the commission Wednesday, staff of the Planning and Finance Office wrote in a post on the internal bulletin board that day, "We ask the chairman to make a magnanimous decision so that the commission can be reborn as an institution trusted once again by the public."
The department members argued, "Since the resolution on guaranteeing former President Yoon Suk-yeol's right to defense, staff have been working amid external criticism and a sense of helplessness within the organization." They added, "If the chairman remains in his post, organizational operations, personnel and budget will become further paralyzed, and internal division will deepen to an irreversible level."
They also expressed solidarity with the decision of Kwon Hyuk-jang, the planning and finance officer who offered to relinquish his post last month, saying it "stemmed from loyalty aimed at protecting the commission's identity and public trust."
Earlier, six senior officials including Kwon had announced they would step down from their posts in protest of Chairman Ahn's management style and other matters. However, Ahn did not accept this in the personnel reshuffle carried out early this month. Kwon again posted on the internal bulletin board on the 6th, stressing, "Given the significant difference in views with the chairman over the commission's future direction, I cannot carry out instructions while heeding his intentions."
Meanwhile, the NHRCK branch of the Korean Government Employees' Union and the NHRCK chapter of the Korean Public Service and Transport Workers' Union planned to hold an emergency meeting at 4 p.m. that day to discuss measures to normalize the commission.
