Fallout from allegations that Kim Keon Hee, wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, privately used national heritage sites has escalated into an internal clash at the Korea Heritage Service, with unions accusing the agency of punishing only working-level officials while sparing its former chief.
The Korea Heritage Service branch of the National Government Employees Union and the broader union said Tuesday they filed a complaint with investigators against former agency chief Choi Eung-cheon, alleging abuse of authority, dereliction of duty and obstruction of business.
They said Choi, the top decision-maker at the time of the incidents, should be investigated first.
Hwang Jin-gyu, head of the agency’s union, criticized what he called a long-standing practice in the civil service in which political appointees avoid accountability after leaving office while responsibility is pushed onto lower-level staff. He also said it was “common sense” to view Choi as having been closer to Kim than anyone else at the agency, adding that it was contradictory for only working-level officials to be punished.
Last month, the Korea Heritage Service filed a complaint with Jongno Police Station against Kim on suspicion of obstructing official duties and violating the Cultural Heritage Protection Act. The agency’s internal probe said Kim held a private tea gathering at Mangmyoru Pavilion at Jongmyo Shrine, inspected a storage facility at the National Palace Museum of Korea, and sat on the royal throne in Geunjeongjeon Hall at Gyeongbokgung Palace, actions the agency said interfered with its management duties.
The unions argue the agency’s audit stopped short of holding Choi responsible. Instead, it removed Lee Jae-pil, former head of the Royal Palaces and Tombs Headquarters, from his post and asked the Ministry of Personnel Management to impose severe discipline.
“I cannot accept the results of the agency’s audit,” Hwang said, urging police to thoroughly investigate Choi as the top official at the time so “legal justice can be realized.”
Attorney Kim Ik-hwan of law firm Suseong, representing the unions, said the complaint alleges four violations: abuse of authority, dereliction of duty, aiding obstruction of official duties and violations of South Korea’s anti-graft law. He said additional complaints could follow.
Some in the civil service say similar incidents could recur unless conditions change for junior officials who find it difficult to refuse orders from superiors. In November, South Korea revised Article 57 of the State Public Officials Act to remove a “duty of obedience” provision that had required compliance with superiors’ instructions, but critics say the change has limited effect because it includes no penalty provisions for those who issue illegal orders.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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