Ha Dong-geun, the head of Korea District Heating Corp. who worked alongside President Lee Jae-myung and presidential First Secretary Kim Hyun-ji in civic activities in Seongnam, received near-bottom scores in the document screening and interview stages of the selection process. Questions have been raised over whether Ha, despite a lack of expertise in the agency's field, secured the top post through favoritism toward the so-called "Seongnam circle."
Documents obtained by Rep. Na Kyung-won of the People Power Party, a member of the National Assembly's Climate, Energy, Environment and Labor Committee, from Korea District Heating Corp. show that Ha, appointed in April, received among the lowest scores of any candidate during the nomination process.
Ha ranked eighth with 85.8 points in the document screening, which eight candidates passed. He then placed fifth with 81.42 points in the interview round. Despite the low rankings, Ha advanced to the final shortlist of five candidates and was appointed CEO after being recommended by the minister. The CEO of Korea District Heating Corp. is reported to receive 243 million won (about $1.7 million) a year, including performance pay.
Ha is a member of the "Seongnam circle" who worked with the president and Kim in civic group activities in Seongnam. An ecological activist, he previously served as head of the Pangyo Environmental Ecology Learning Center, a member of Gyeonggi Province's First Investment Review Committee and chairman of the Korea Environmental Education Center. He is known to be close to Kim, having officiated at her wedding.
Questions have also been raised over whether a civic activist devoted to environmental campaigns is a suitable fit to lead an energy agency. In the document screening and interview process, Ha failed to receive an A grade from any of the reviewers in the category of "knowledge and experience in the relevant field."
Ha is not the only member of the "Seongnam circle" to have landed a post despite lower evaluation scores. Nam Kwang-woo, president of the Korea Environmental Industry and Technology Institute, ranked third with 89 points in the document screening and second with 84 points in the interview, yet was appointed over rivals who placed first in each stage.
Nam served as the first secretary-general of the Seongnam Citizens' Coalition, launched in 1995. At the time, the group's executive committee chairman was Lee and its coordinator was Kim.
