Ha Dong-geun, the CEO of Korea District Heating Corporation who sparked controversy after being appointed to the president position with an annual salary of 243 million Korean won despite receiving the lowest scores during document and interview evaluations, was found to have dedicated most of his self-introduction submitted during his application to detailing his “activist career.”
According to the self-introduction document obtained by the office of People Power Party Rep. Na Kyung-won on the 19th, most of the content described his past activities with civic groups in Seongnam. He mentioned his involvement in the founding of the Seongnam YMCA in the 1980s, stating, “It was a hub for regional movements where, despite the prevalence of illegal activities in the activist scene, legal movements were possible to a limited extent.” He added, “I was pushed to the forefront as a leader of the regional movement due to my age and experience,” and noted, “Since that period, I have stood at the front lines of Seongnam’s regional movements for 50 years.”
In describing his activities with the Seongnam People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy and the Seongnam Social Organizations Solidarity Conference, he wrote, “I engaged in struggles such as the Daejang-dong oil storage tank fight and the Baekgung Pavilion issue through these organizations.” Regarding the movement to establish Seongnam City Hospital, he recalled, “It was the longest and most arduous struggle (17 years).” He stated, “I stood at the forefront as a co-representative or standing representative,” and added, “It was a fierce battle involving the samboilbae (three steps forward, one step back) protest and a two-week hunger strike.” He continued, “The process was grueling, with many people suffering from imprisonment and indictments.” President Lee Jae Myung also participated in the movement to establish Seongnam City Hospital during his time as a lawyer. The president later recalled, “It was the catalyst that led me to enter politics.”
Out of 12 paragraphs in the three A4-page self-introduction, excluding sections redacted for personal information, seven focused on regional activism.
In contrast, the content explaining his expertise as a Korea District Heating Corporation president candidate was limited to a single paragraph. He wrote, “Korea District Heating Corporation is a representative collective energy institution in South Korea,” and added, “I hope to contribute to the corporation and the South Korean government’s policy-making through my experience and know-how.”
Ha is categorized as part of the “Seongnam line,” having engaged in environmental activism in the region during President Lee Jae Myung’s time as a lawyer in Seongnam and serving as the officiant at the wedding of Kim Hyun-ji, the personal secretary to the president. With almost no energy-related career background and being an environmental activist by origin, his appointment as head of the district heating corporation has drawn criticism. Notably, he ranked 8th out of 8 candidates in document evaluations and 5th out of 5 in interviews, yet was still selected as president.
Leave a Reply