Opposition lawmakers attacked Jang Gun, chairman of the Construction Workers Mutual Aid Association, over his expertise and the circumstances of his appointment during a parliamentary audit.
According to the National Assembly, People Power Party lawmakers focused their questioning on Jang during an audit of agencies under the Ministry of Employment and Labor held by the Climate, Energy, Environment and Labor Committee on the 23rd.
Rep. Na Kyung-won of the People Power Party questioned Jang's qualifications, saying that "the only license or certification listed on his application is a Class 2 ordinary driver's license." She argued that financial knowledge and asset management experience are essential for a post that involves managing a 5.6 trillion won ($3.9 billion) mutual aid fund.
Jang's background in civic activism also came under scrutiny. He previously served as co-representative of the Seongnam Solidarity for Participatory Self-Government, a group where President Lee Jae-myung once served as executive committee chairman and Kim Hyun-ji, head of the first secretarial office at the Presidential Office, worked as secretary general. Na pressed Jang on whether those connections lay behind his selection as chairman.
Rep. Lee Heon-seung, also of the People Power Party, added that Jang's various positions — including roles at a consumer cooperative, a labor union and the Korea Ceramic Foundation — have nothing to do with mutual aid operations. "That is why we argue this is a textbook case of a patronage appointment," he said.
Democratic Party lawmakers, by contrast, said there were no disqualifying grounds for Jang's appointment and concentrated on policy questions about the association's pending issues. Rep. Lee Gun-tae of the Democratic Party defended Jang directly, saying he "has experience running a business and employing staff, and also has extensive experience working in solidarity with the socially disadvantaged."
Jang rejected the opposition's claims, saying they were "not true." Asked whether his ties to Kim motivated his application or influenced his selection, he said no. "I have never been swayed by any private interest and have worked only for the public interest and the common good," he said.