[Anchor]
The National Election Commission (NEC) has faced criticism for operating like a family business, following a series of allegations regarding preferential hiring of children, in addition to controversies over poor election management. Kim Se-hwan, the former Secretary-General of the NEC who was at the center of these cases, has been sentenced to two years in prison in the first trial for his involvement in his son's hiring.
Reporter Kim Gyu-ri has the story.
[Reporter]
[(Most of the charges were found guilty; what is your position?) ...]
The Incheon District Court sentenced Kim Se-hwan, former Secretary-General of the National Election Commission, to two years in prison for his involvement in the unfair hiring of his son as an NEC employee.
Kim's son, identified as A, was working as a civil servant at the Ganghwa County Office before transferring to the Ganghwa County Election Commission through a career recruitment process in 2019.
Within a year of his transfer, he moved to the Incheon City Election Commission office and was even provided with official government housing. The court determined that the former Secretary-General had unfairly intervened in this process.
The court found him guilty of designating specific interviewers, informing them of his son's application, and instructing staff to designate an officetel where his son would reside as an additional official residence.
The court also noted that qualification requirements for the transfer exam to the Incheon City Election Commission were relaxed without any reasonable justification, and that Kim's son was the only person to benefit from these changes.
The court rebuked the former Secretary-General, stating, "He not only caused a sense of loss and helplessness among the public, including the younger generation, but also incited social outrage."
However, the court did not order his immediate detention, citing his clean criminal record and the lack of risk of evidence destruction or flight.
Last year, the Board of Audit and Inspection conducted an audit of the NEC and revealed that since 2013, over 870 violations of regulations had been uncovered in approximately 290 career recruitment processes at the commission.
Reported by Kim Han-gyeol | Video by Chae Cheol-ho | Graphics by Lee Jong-jeong | Produced by SBS Digital News
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