A figure from President Lee Jae-myung's presidential election campaign has been appointed standing auditor at the National Research Foundation of Korea, one of the country's main state research and development agencies. The post listed "extensive expertise in academic and R&D fields" as a qualification, yet went to a political insider far removed from that requirement. With a political figure chosen again following the previous administration, the foundation's standing auditor post has become impossible to shield from accusations of patronage.
According to the science and technology community on the 13th, the government on Oct. 2 appointed Kim Sang-jin, former deputy head of the strategy bureau at the Democratic Party's presidential election campaign committee, as the foundation's standing auditor. The post is filled by the president following a recommendation from an executive recommendation committee, deliberation and approval by the Ministry of Economy and Finance's public institution management committee, and nomination by the finance minister.
The standing auditor oversees all audit work, examining whether the institution's major policy implementation, budget management, accounting and contracts involve any illegal or improper conduct. Because the foundation was established to advance national science and technology and strengthen research capacity, its auditor is also expected to hold knowledge of science, technology and academic research, and the foundation has set compensation above 100 million won in recognition of the role's importance. The base salary for the standing auditor this year was set at 130.88 million won, up 3.4% from a year earlier.
The problem is that this high-paying post has now gone twice in a row to political figures with no connection to science, technology or R&D. Former President Yoon Suk-yeol previously appointed former bureau chief Kang, regarded as a close aide who had served as administrative bureau chief while Yoon was head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, as the foundation's standing auditor.
Kim, the newly appointed auditor, not only worked on the president's campaign but is also a political figure who declared candidacy three times in the 20th through 22nd general elections. After serving as a presidential office administrator during the Kim Dae-jung government and as a policy research officer at the National Assembly, Kim was abruptly named vice president of IBK Service in 2021, drawing accusations of patronage at that time as well.
Kim's term runs two years, through Oct. 1, 2028.