Mir and K-Sports foundations squander 200 million won each month

It has turned out that the Mir and K-Sports foundations that have provided cues for Park Geun-hye and Choi Soon-sil gate are still in business, spending as much as some 200 million Korean won (approx. 169,952 U.S. dollars) of operating expenses every month. Although the operation of two organizations was put to stop by the National Assembly’s inspection at the end of September last year, the two still pay monthly expenses such as office rental and employee payment on a regular basis. The employees are said to have purchased back mobile phones that had been confiscated by the prosecution and even pay the prices for Starbucks coffee with corporate credit cards.

Denying the intervention of the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae in September last year, the Federation of Korean Industries announced that it would disband the two organizations and establish a culture and sport foundation of 75 billion won (approx. 63.8 million dollars) in size. As prosecution investigation was being conducted in full swing, however, the federation took its hands off. In the meantime, some 75 billion won out of some 77.4 billion won (approx. 65.8 million dollars) of the total contribution that the two foundations had extorted form conglomerates is being spent as payment for employees of Mir Foundation whose annual salary is well over 90 million won (approx. 76,520 dollars) and as support fund for employees of K-Sport foundation. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, which has authority to grant an approval, was submitted with the measures to minimize the operating cost in last December, and is now reviewing the measures. For what it’s worth, the federation is at its own risk of being disbanded. The ministry, however, is no better than committing dereliction of duty.

Indicting Choi Soon-sil, the prosecution has revealed that President Park Geun-hye had paid careful attention in setting up and naming the two foundations, organizing its directors and raising funds as it has decided that she is a de facto owner of the two organizations. Has the ministry been reluctant to come up with coping skills because it lacked the specific instruction from its owner? The ministry didn’t hesitate to offer specially-fast procedure when it was granting an approval to Mir Foundation by sending its official in charge to Seoul. It now says that it would wait for the investigation results from the court and special prosecution. As this means that the ministry thinks nothing of the indignation of the nation, it deserves harsh criticism.

At the press conference on Wednesday urging two problematic foundations to be immediately disbanded, the Citizens Coalition of Economic Justice issued a strong condemnation on the ministry who is remaining as a spectator. If things go on as it has been, the money could be used up bit by bit as the civic group’s concerns. The ministry is strongly advised to disassemble the two foundations without further delay and have the remaining fund revert to the nation.