State auditor finds hiring irregularities among NEC officials

The state audit agency said Thursday it has uncovered suspected nepotism involving the hiring of families and relatives of former and current officials at the National Election Commission (NEC).

The Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) revealed in its report that NEC officials ranging from high-ranking officials to mid-level managers frequently solicited hires for their family members while recruitment officers used various illegal ways to ensure the hires.

Preferential hiring mostly took place in the "competitive recruitment" of experienced employees.

The agency said it inspected all 291 rounds of recruitment of experienced employees conducted since 2013 and confirmed 878 violations of regulations.

Specifically, children of NEC officials were secretly recruited without posting the job opening, interview scores were manipulated or forged while panels for the interviews were formed with employees with close ties.

The BAI said it has asked the NEC to take disciplinary action against 32 former and current officials for their abuse of power and violations.

The agency noted "the fairness of hiring of public officials has been severely compromised," pointing out that the NEC, which should be overseeing fair recruitment, knowingly tolerated nepotism and even encouraged illegal and unfair recruitment. (Yonhap)