금융권의 양대 수장인 신제윤 금융위원장과 최수현 금감원장이 이번 주에 취임 1주년을 맞이했지만 계속되는 금융 사고 여파로 인해 기념 행사는 꿈도 못 꾸는 상황이다.
카드사 개인정보 대규모 유출로 인해서 국민의 금융 불신이 극에 달한 이 상황에서 자칫 잘못했다가는 책임사퇴설이 더욱 거세질 수 있음을 의식한 탓이다.
그러나 내부적으로는 ”지난 1년 간의 의미있는 성과들마저 카드 사태에 다 묻혀버렸다"면서 불만의 소리도 흘러나오고 있다.
최수현 원장은 18일 화요일에, 그리고 신제윤 위원장은 22일 토요일에 취임 1주년이 되지만 양 기관은 이와 관련해서 어떠한 행사도 열지 않고 공식 입장도 내지 않았다.
특히 금감원 측은 팀장급 직원이 KT ENS의 대규모 대출 사기에 적극 연루되었음이 밝혀지면서 더더욱 자숙하는 분위기이다.
게다가 카드3사에서 유출됐던 정보가 외부로 추가 유출됐다는 검찰의 최근 발표 때문에 금융당국은 한층 더 난감해진 입장이다. 신위원장과 최원장이 그간 “외부 유출은 없었다"고 거듭 단언해왔기 때문이다.
작년 3월, 박근혜 정부 초대 금융 수장으로 취임한 두 사람은 창조경제의 기치 하에 “금융 르네상스"를 일구겠다며 의욕적인 모습을 보였다.
신위원장은 담보 대출 중심의 금융을 벗어나서 기술 기반한 금융 컨텐츠를 육성할 것을 다짐하고 금융 소비자 보호를 강조하며 전담 기구 창설을 제안했다.
최원장은 대부업체 대표들과의 간담회를 여는 등, 파격적인 현장 위주의 행보를 보였으며 상시 감시 시스템을 강화하는 등 금감원 내부 체제 개혁에 나섰다.
“하지만 이런 성과들은 죄다 정보 유출 사태 앞에서는 무의미한 상황"이라고 금감원 관계자는 전했다.
그나마 직원의 사기 연루 건까지 해결해야 하는 최원장보다는 신위원장의 입지가 낫다고 보는 시각도 일부 있다.
신위원장은 최근에 자금세탁방지 국제기구인 FATF의 의장 및 국제회계기준 IFRS의 감사이사로 선임되는 등 대외적 활동도 꾸준히 하고 있는 중이다.
<관련 영문 기사>
[Newsmaker] Top regulators have nothing to celebrate Financial Supervisory Service Gov. Choi Soo-hyun and Financial Services Commission Chairman Shin Je-yoon may consider themselves unfortunate, as they are burdened with the role of leading Korea’s financial industry at a difficult time.
Shin and Choi would have celebrated their first inauguration anniversary amid much fanfare this week, if it were not a sluggish economic performance and the escalating pressure for their resignation.
Instead of celebrations, the two chiefs have chosen to remain low key, allowing themselves the spotlight only when announcing new preventive measures or slapping penalties on guilty culprits.
“We do not plan to hold celebrations or press briefings marking the chairman’s inauguration anniversary this Saturday,” an FSC official told The Korea Herald.
The situation at the FSS is gloomier than at the FSC, as a senior FSS official appears to have been actively involved in the massive KT ENS loan fraud scandal.
The two chiefs had kicked off their three-year terms in high spirits in 2013 following their appointments by President Park Geun-hye. However, they were soon hit by a tsunami of financial scandals, including the Tong Yang probe and the latest personal information leak at major card companies.
To make things worse, the prosecution confirmed earlier this week that part of the leaked information had not been contained, and was therefore open to the risk of further abuse.
This was precisely contrary to what Choi and Shin had said earlier.
The two had repeatedly said that none of the leaked information would be abused.
The side-effects of the information spill are now touching off criticism from civic groups and opposition parties, who believe that Shin and Choi, together with Economic Vice Prime Minister Hyun Oh-seok, should take responsibility and step down.
What the regulators had done, however, was to fire the heads of the financial companies where the leaks had occurred.
But even without the scandals, the local financial industry has not been great shape.
The total net profit of the top 11 financial holding companies as of the end of 2013 was 4.2 trillion won ($3.9 billion), half the 8.4 trillion won recorded in 2012, according to the FSS.
Despite the humble performance, however, the two top officials were also appraised for mapping out the country’s long-term financial blueprint and promoting financial consumers’ basic rights.
Shin highlighted the importance of sustainable knowledge-based finance and urged the financial sector to move beyond their conventional loan businesses.
He also suggested the establishment of an independent organization devoted to the protection of financial consumers’ rights, though the related bill failed to pass the National Assembly.
FSS leader Choi introduced a tight monitoring system in efforts to eradicate irregularities and prevent potential financial crimes. It was due to this reinforced system that the watchdog detected the KT ENS loan fraud case.
“Our efforts were rendered meaningless in the face of the information leak scandal,” said a FSS official.
The FSC and FSS chiefs may seem to be rowing in the same boat, but some observers speculated that Shin may be better off than Choi, who also has to deal with accusations against his officials in addition to the information leak aftermaths.
Last week, Shin was appointed as chairman of the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering and a member of the International Financial Reporting Standards’ supervisory board.
By Bae Hyun-jung (
tellme@heraldcorp.com)
