District Heating Corporation CEO In-seon workshop... “Parachute greetings” and “Stop shaming”

Climate, Environment and Labor Committee National Inspection Goseong Oga... Disagreement of opinion on adoption of comprehensive audit witnesses and references

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Oh Gyu-jin = The ruling and opposition parties fought over the appointment of Korea District Heating Corporation President Ha Dong-geun at the National Assembly's Climate, Energy, Environment and Labor Committee audit on the 19th.

The People Power Party defined President Ha, a former civic activist in the Seongnam region, as a 'parachute appointment' lacking professionalism, and claimed that Kim Hyun-ji, the first deputy director of the Blue House, was behind the appointment.

Rep. Na Kyung-won of the People Power Party mentioned that President Ha officiated Director Kim's wedding, and said, "People who contributed to the creation of the government are also sent as heads of institutions. They should go to the right place, but isn't that a bit harsh?" and added, "Why did you apply? Did you communicate with Director Kim in advance?"

Representative Kim Ki-hyun of the same party said that during questioning, when CEO Ha hesitated to answer when asked about the Korea District Heating Corporation's sales, operating profits, and major projects last year, he said, "You came to take the exam today. You should study," and added, "No matter how much you don't know, shouldn't you at least pretend to know it?"

On the other hand, Park Ji-hye, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, said, "The headquarters of the District Heating Corporation is in Seongnam, and there must have been a lot of exchange during the environmental movement in Seongnam," and added, "Shouldn't we play an important role for carbon neutrality and decarbonization? I ask you to play a big role."

Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Tae-seon targeted a question from People Power Party lawmaker Kim Ki-hyun and criticized, saying, "The director of the National Assembly is not a place to take short-answer tests. Moreover, it should not be a place to humiliate respondents," and added, "I hope the government audit becomes a place where policies are evaluated."

Regarding this, there was shouting back and forth between lawmakers from both parties as People Power Party lawmakers demanded Rep. Kim Tae-seon's remark and apology.

On the 26th, there was a fierce fight over the adoption of witnesses and references for the comprehensive audit.

While the ruling and opposition parties continue to negotiate, the People Power Party's policymakers held a press conference during the audit of government affairs and requested the adoption of witnesses including Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, and Hanwha Group Executive Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan.

They criticized, "President Lee Jae-myung said there was no pressure on the semiconductor cluster in the Honam region. He also said he would take ultimate responsibility," and added, "However, the Democratic Party is taking the lead in blocking witnesses and references. Is this an attitude of responsibility?"

In relation to this, Chairman Kim Jeong-ho of the Democratic Party's Health and Safety Committee said, "The Democratic Party is concerned about the three mega projects being seen as a political offensive, so there are strong differences of opinion," and added, "I hope that after careful consideration, the process will be resolved through agreement."

Meanwhile, the Climate, Energy, Environment, and Labor Committee held a plenary meeting on this day and issued an accompanying order to Park Young-woo, former chairman of Daeyu Winia Group, and his daughter Park Eun-jin, CEO of DYA, who were adopted as witnesses but submitted a written explanation for non-attendance and did not appear at the government inspection.