The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on the 1st that it has requested the Board of Audit and Inspection to conduct a public audit regarding allegations from the opposition that there was favoritism in the hiring process of A, the daughter of Prosecutor General Shin Woo-jeong, at the National Diplomatic Academy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official met with reporters that day and noted, "To obtain an objective assessment regarding the issues raised related to the hiring of the prosecutor general’s child as a public worker at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a request for a public audit was submitted to the Board of Audit and Inspection."
He also added, "The decision on the hiring will be postponed until the results of the Board of Audit and Inspection are out." A is applying for a public service research position at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and has passed the document and interview screening processes and is going through the Shinwon investigation stage.
The official explained the background for postponing the final hiring decision, stating, "The audit and hiring are separate matters," adding that "it seems contradictory to proceed with hiring while awaiting the Board of Audit and Inspection's judgment."
Public audits are a system where the heads of the audited institutions, local councils, citizens, or civic groups can request audits on matters for the public good, and the Board of Audit and Inspection reviews and conducts the audits. If issues to be corrected emerge from the audit results, the Board issues penalties or recommendations for improvement to the relevant institutions or local governments. By regulation, audits must be concluded within six months from the date the decision to conduct the audit is made.
Previously, members of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee of the Democratic Party alleged that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs changed the application qualifications ‘tailored’ for A after the first hiring announcement and counted the period of intern activities as ‘experience,’ raising suspicions of favoritism.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that the hiring process is being conducted transparently and fairly according to relevant laws, asserting that the claims are "unjust." The Ministry's voluntary request for an audit is interpreted as an attempt to resolve suspicions amid growing controversy, particularly from the opposition party.