‘Kim Hyun-ji’s wedding officiant’ Ha Dong-geun appointed head of state-run company despite finishing last in interview, with annual pay of 243 million won

[Financial News] President Lee Jae-myung and Kim Hyun-ji, head of the Blue House’s First Auxiliary Office, previously took part in civic group activities in Seongnam alongside Ha Dong-geun, president of Korea District Heating Corporation. It has emerged that Ha was appointed to the post despite receiving the lowest scores in both the document review and interview for the position, prompting controversy over the propriety of the appointment.

According to reports by Chosun Ilbo and JoongAng Ilbo, among others, on the 6th, documents submitted by Korea District Heating Corporation to Na Kyung-won, a People Power Party lawmaker on the National Assembly’s Climate, Energy, Environment and Labor Committee, showed that Ha ranked eighth out of eight applicants who passed the document screening for this year’s president recruitment, with a score of 85.8. He also placed last among the five candidates who advanced to the interview, scoring 81.42.
The corporation’s Executive Candidate Recommendation Committee put all five interviewees forward as finalists, and Ha was appointed last April after the minister’s recommendation and other steps. The president of Korea District Heating Corporation is reportedly paid around 243 million won a year, including performance bonuses.
His expertise was also not rated highly. No evaluator gave Ha the top grade of A for “knowledge and experience in the relevant field” during the document review or interview. Ha has served as founding head of the Seongnam Environmental Movement Alliance, head of the Seongnam Cultural Solidarity, chair of the Environmental Education Center, and director of the Pangyo Environmental Ecology Learning Center, among other roles. Critics have noted that, as his work has focused mainly on civic and environmental groups, he has relatively little experience directly related to energy fields such as district heating or power generation.

Ha became acquainted with President Lee when Lee was practicing law in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, and later worked with him on efforts including the establishment of Seongnam City Medical Center. He is known to be close to the so-called “Seongnam circle,” having even officiated at the wedding of Kim, the office chief.
At the National Assembly’s audit of the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment that day, Na Kyung-won pressed Minister Kim Seong-hwan, asking, “He came in last in both the document review and interview, so why did you recommend him as the sole candidate?” Kim replied, “The role of Korea District Heating Corporation is changing significantly,” adding, “This is a position where various environmental and ecological factors, as well as energy, must be taken into consideration.”
Na said, “It seems that the fact that he officiated at the wedding of Kim Hyun-ji, the office chief, overturned the scores in both the document review and interview,” and urged, “We must thoroughly establish the facts and determine whether the Blue House exerted undue pressure.”
Korea District Heating Corporation said, “We have no further comment beyond stating that the appointment was made lawfully in accordance with the relevant procedures and laws.”


[email protected] Kim Su-yeon Reporter