Discipline must start with the presidential office

The presidential office must respect discipline more than other organizations.

It is shocking that several cases of corruption, including illegal transactions, occurred in the process of relocating the presidential office to Yongsan District from the Blue House. After looking into the cases, which incurred more than 1.5 billion won ($1.1 million) in losses, the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) on Thursday urged the presidential office to pay special heed to its own affairs. The BAI affirmed that a construction broker close to a senior official at the Presidential Security Service took illegitimate profits after exaggerating the cost of installing bulletproof windows in the presidential compound.

We are greatly surprised that a senior official positioned to protect the president was behind such a filthy scheme. The BAI also discovered that the presidential office had rushed to install bulletproof windows even though it was aware of a critical lack of budget for the installation. The presidential office and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety also neglected their duty to oversee the builders. Two builders received 320 million won as “extra pay” and 19 firms with no licenses for construction were hired as subcontractors in the renovation of the presidential offfice.

The audit started after the People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD), a progressive civic group, raised suspicion about special favors for the constructors in October 2022. According to the Anticorruption Act, the BAI must finish its probe within 60 days after a request for a “public audit” is filed. But the inspection agency completed its audit 20 months after starting the investigation. The BAI cannot avoid criticism for dragging its feet apparently to not irk the presidential office.

The PSPD made a request for the public audit after finding out that a constructor tied to an exhibition company owned by first lady Kim Keon Hee made a contract with the presidential office to remodel the presidential residence in Hannam-dong. As the constructor is reportedly not qualified for the job, suspicions arose over the first lady’s possible intervention. The BAI didn’t regard the contract as “being illegitimate,” citing its registration as a “constructor.” But it can hardly dispel deepening suspicions.

After the BAI’s announcement of the results of its audit, the presidential office said, “The BAI has confirmed no special favor in the process of the construction.” But a majority of people seriously wondered why the president wanted to relocate his office to Yongsan, vulnerable to security risks, after abandoning the safe Blue House. The presidential office must ask itself whether such a rush led to corruption and illegalities in construction. The presidential office must respect discipline more than other organizations.