Kim Ho-cheol Says Tiger Faction Privileges Must Be Rolled Back, Personnel Authority Was Abused

[Financial News] Kim Ho-cheol, chief of the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI), said on the 24th that, regarding internal factional disputes at the BAI, including the so-called "Tiger Faction" that emerged during the tenure of Secretary General Yoo Byung-ho, "What is important for clearing this up is that factions must be dismantled within the organization."
Kim made the remarks at his first press briefing since taking office, held that day at the BAI, when asked about internal factional issues and personnel principles. He referred to the so-called "Tiger Faction" and said the following.
Kim said, "In the past, I heard about the so-called 'Tiger Faction,' which everyone in the public knows about," adding, "In any case, there was abuse of personnel authority and inspection authority, enough to raise public suspicion, and we also made our own complaints."
"Tiger Faction" refers to a close-knit group formed during the time Yoo Byung-ho served as secretary general. It has been cited inside and outside the BAI as a key source of controversy over political or targeted audits and personnel favoritism.
On this, Kim pointed out, "It is hard to deny that factions and favoritism are connected."
Kim explained that since taking office, he has emphasized dismantling factions and eliminating favoritism as a personnel principle. "When I first took office, I told employees that what needed to be cleared up would be cleared up," he said. "I declared that privileges stemming from factions must be rolled back, and those who were disadvantaged should be restored in personnel matters."
He added, "I asked the administrative office to reflect those principles in personnel decisions as much as possible, and I believe the staff also made efforts to accept and support the idea that these principles should take root."
However, Kim stressed, "Factionalism and favoritism are not issues that arise overnight," adding, "We are working to ensure that personnel decisions are handled so strictly that this kind of controversy does not come up again."
He also said, "It is difficult to say, based on just six months of activity, whether those principles have been fully upheld," but added, "We will continue making every effort to uphold them."
Kim added, "Employees are joining in and agreeing that there should be no talk from the public about internal factions or favoritism."
west@fnnews.com Seong Seok-woo Reporter