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Choe Jae-hae (Cheong Wa Dae) |
President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday nominated Choe Jae-hae to head the Board of Audit and Inspection. Choe had previously served on the agency’s board.
The nomination comes more than two months after the seat was vacated due to the sudden resignation of Choe Jae-hyeong, who joined the main opposition People Power Party shortly after to seek its candidacy for next year’s presidential race.
The presidential office said Moon nominated Choe Jae-hae for being an “audit specialist,” as seen by him serving in key positions within the state-run audit agency. He now serves as a non-standing auditor for LS Cable & System after working at the BAI from 1989 to 2018.
The nomination is believed to enhance the “independence and political neutrality” of BAI to “contribute to realizing a public service community trusted by the people,” said Park Soo-hyun, senior Cheong Wa Dae secretary for public communication, in a statement.
Political neutrality has been brought into question after Choe Jae-hyeong resigned, as he was criticized for making comments in direct opposition of the Moon administration over the controversial decision to shutter the Wolsong-1 nuclear power plant much earlier than its schedule closure.
Choe Jae-hae would need to undergo a confirmation hearing with the National Assembly to be officially appointed. It has not been decided yet when the hearing will take place.
By Ko Jun-tae (
ko.juntae@heraldcorp.com)
