'Sim Woojung Daughter Preferential Hiring Allegation' Cleared... Ministry of Foreign Affairs Says 'Internal Audit Found Issues, Internal Procedures Underway'

On May 27, most of those involved in the alleged preferential hiring of the daughter of former Prosecutor General Sim Woo-jung by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were cleared of charges by law enforcement agencies. However, the Ministry stated, "Regardless of the investigation results, problems were identified during the Ministry's own audit of the recruitment process," and added, "We are currently proceeding with the relevant internal procedures."

Ministry of Foreign Affairs building. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs commented on the announcement by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) on the same day, saying, "We respect the results of the investigation and deeply apologize to the public for causing concern over this matter."

Earlier that day, the CIO announced that all suspects, including former Prosecutor General Sim, former Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yeol, and former President of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy Park Cheol-hee, who had been accused of abuse of authority, bribery, and violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, were cleared of charges. However, the CIO noted that during the investigation, evidence was found that the candidate for recruitment forged and used private documents related to career records, and that a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official fabricated and used false official documents during the internal reporting process. The CIO explained that it would request a separate investigation, as there are limitations to its jurisdiction under the relevant law. It appears that the individual suspected of forging private documents is the daughter of former Prosecutor General Sim, who is at the center of this controversy.

Regarding this, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said, "We plan to fully cooperate with the investigation, including submitting materials, concerning the allegations of private document forgery and creation of false official documents identified by the CIO during the investigation process."

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