Criticism has emerged that former President Yoon Suk-yeol's government pushed through a series of 'placement appointments' for key heads of public institutions and standing auditors even in a national emergency.
According to Jeong Il-young, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party of Korea, the total number of key public institution appointments made from the controversy over 'parachute appointments' raised in the National Audit in October last year until the presidential impeachment ruling on April 4, 2025, amounts to 98.
Of these, only 10 appointments will end this year, while 88 appointments still have more than six months remaining. Notably, 84 of them will have at least a year secured, allowing them to maintain their positions for an extended period.
Based on the timing of the appointments, the 31 people appointed by December 2 last year were already involved in the 'favoritism parachute' controversy, and after the outbreak of the rebellion on December 3, an additional 53 were appointed. It has been revealed that 22 new appointments were made after the presidential impeachment ruling on April 4, confirming that the appointments continued even while the president's duties were suspended, according to lawmaker Jeong.
In particular, an analysis of the departments of the 53 heads of public institutions appointed after December 3 showed that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport had the highest number of appointments (7), followed by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Environment, and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (5 each).
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (4), the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and the Ministry of Science and ICT (3 each), and the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises and Startups, the Ministry of Education, the Office for Government Policy Coordination, and the Ministry of Employment and Labor (2 each) followed, while the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Financial Services Commission, the Fair Trade Commission, the Korea Communications Commission, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, the Korean Intellectual Property Office, and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (1 each) were the least represented.
Lawmaker Jeong stated, "I will hold accountable the ministers of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Environment, and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, who conducted the most placement appointments."
There are also concerns that the appointments of standing auditors possess structural issues. Out of a total of 70, 50 are guaranteed more than six months in tenure, and among them, 10 will have tenures of over a year. Criticism has arisen that 28 were appointed only after December 3 last year, filling even the audit functions with late-term appointments.