It seems that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport felt burdened recently
The second resignation of the head of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport under the new administration
Kim Jin-sook, president of Korea Expressway Corporation, expressed his resignation. After the inauguration of the Yun Seok-yeol government, the resignation of the head of a large public institution appointed by the previous Moon Jae-in government is the second time following Kim Hyun-joon, former president of the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH).
According to the Korea Expressway Corporation on the 23rd, President Kim announced his intention to resign from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on the 22nd. Kim’s term of office lasted until April of next year. That means he’s resigning with seven months left in office.
President Kim is a former bureaucrat who has served as the head of the Multifunctional Administrative City Construction Agency and the head of the Seoul Regional Land Management Agency. He took over as president of the road construction project in 2020, during his former government days.
Recently, the Road Corporation is under the supervision of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport following refusing a request to cut food prices at service stations. It is believed that this may have acted as the background for Kim’s resignation as president.
Last month, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport proposed to cut food prices at rest stops by 10%. The idea was to give a discount by lowering the commission rate (41%) that the road construction company and service area operators take from food service providers.
However, the Korea Expressway Corporation objected, arguing that it might suffer disadvantages in the management evaluation of public institutions by the Ministry of Strategy and Finance due to poor operating profits. This was because, if the company received a bad score in the management evaluation, the performance pay of the employees of the corporation was also affected.
Accordingly, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong ordered high-intensity inspections of high-ranking officials of the Korea Highway Corporation right following the Chuseok holiday.
On the 21st, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong said to his social networking service (SNS) on the 21st, “The Road Corporation is openly resisting government reform in order to solidify their vested interests.” He also criticized the road construction company directly, saying, “I ordered a high inspection.”
It is the second time that the head of an agency under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport resigned following the launch of the Yun Seok-yeol government. Last month, Kim Hyun-joon, president of Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH), resigned.
Reporter Lee Hye-in hey@hankyung.com
