Lee Sohee: "Health and Welfare Institute Chief's Outside Roles Raise Conflict-of-Interest Concerns... Privatization of Public Institutions"

President Eun Minsu Used Outside-Position Title Before Approval
Institute Supported Basic Society Research Association Event

Concerns were raised during a parliamentary audit by the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee over the director of the Korea Human Resource Development Institute for Health and Welfare’s outside activities and potential conflicts of interest.

Lee Sohee, a People Power Party lawmaker serving on the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee. Photo provided by her office.

On October 23, Lee Sohee, a People Power Party lawmaker serving on the Health and Welfare Committee, raised concerns about the outside activities of Eun Minsu, head of the institute and co-author of Lee Jae-myung Theory and Basic Society, during a parliamentary audit the previous day of agencies under the committee. She raised issues related to his outside activities.

Eun currently also holds positions including co-chair of the Basic Society Research Association, with approval from the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Lee said that before obtaining approval for his outside activities, Eun had also used the title “co-chair of the research association” at a seminar jointly hosted by the institute and the association. She criticized him for telling the National Assembly that the institute had merely provided the venue for a special seminar earlier this month, when it had in fact co-hosted the event with the association.

“He used the agency’s budget and facilities, its staff, and even its website for an event organized by an association he heads, yet reported ‘not applicable’ in the conflict-of-interest review [submitted to the National Assembly],” Lee said. “This is not simply a matter of the director’s outside activities; it is a case of the Lee Jae-myung administration privatizing a public institution under the banner of a basic society.” She added, “We will thoroughly investigate the allegations before the parliamentary audit concludes and continue to monitor and verify them to the end even after it is over.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.