Rival parties clashed on the 19th over the appointment of Ha Dong-geun as chief executive of Korea District Heating Corp. during a parliamentary audit by the National Assembly's Climate, Energy, Environment and Labor Committee. The People Power Party raised suspicions of a patronage appointment, saying Ha is close to Kim Hyun-ji, the presidential office's first senior secretary, and ranked last in evaluations of candidates for the state-run company's top post. The Democratic Party, by contrast, highlighted Ha's background in environmental activism and criticized the opposition's questioning as an attempt at public humiliation.
Rep. Na Kyung-won of the People Power Party pressed Ha on how he was selected, noting that he had once officiated at Kim's wedding. "When power changes hands, people who contributed to it are sometimes sent to head public institutions, but this is a bit much," Na said, asking whether Ha had communicated with Kim in advance.
Na said Ha ranked eighth out of eight candidates in the document screening and fifth out of five in the interview screening for the CEO post. "You received D or E grades in all five evaluation categories. How do you think you were recommended as CEO?" she asked. Ha denied any prior communication with Kim, saying, "I thought the criteria for the initial tests and the criteria for the final selection could be somewhat different."
On his relationship with Kim, Ha said, "I have officiated at about 40 weddings over the course of my activities," adding that "officiating a wedding does not create a special relationship."
Ha's personal statement also came under scrutiny. Na said Ha had submitted the document with substantial portions redacted, citing the privacy of a third party, and demanded the original. "I received a tip that he used the word 'struggle' more than 10 times in his personal statement," she said, arguing that he lacks the expertise needed to manage a state-run company.
Ha replied that he had spent about 10 years in energy education work in local communities and more than 30 years in environmental activism. "I applied because I believe Korea District Heating Corp. is a key institution for putting energy education into practice," he said.
Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon of the People Power Party also took aim at Ha after he was unable to answer immediately when asked about the company's revenue, operating profit and major projects last year. "You came here to take a test today. You should have studied," Kim said. "Even if you don't know, shouldn't you at least pretend to know?"
The Democratic Party countered that the opposition had gone too far. Rep. Park Ji-hye cited Ha's experience in environmental activism and urged him to "play an important role for carbon neutrality and decarbonization." Rep. Kim Tae-sun also said, "A parliamentary audit is not a place to take a short-answer test. Nor should it become a venue for humiliating those who answer." People Power Party lawmakers demanded that he retract the remarks and apologize, and shouting broke out between lawmakers from the two parties.
Tensions also continued over which witnesses to summon for the comprehensive audit on the 26th. The People Power Party called for summoning Samsung Electronics Chairman Jay Y. Lee, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and Hanwha Group Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan, and accused the Democratic Party of blocking the move. Committee Chairman Kim Jung-ho said the two sides remain far apart because the Democratic Party is concerned that questioning about the three mega projects could be seen as a political attack, and he called on the parties to reach an agreement.
Separately, the committee issued orders compelling the attendance of former Daeyoo Winia Group Chairman Park Young-woo and his daughter Park Eun-jin, chief executive of DYA, after the two failed to appear at the audit despite being approved as witnesses.