Former Presidential Aides to Be Honored With Medals

Former Presidential Advisor of Information, Science and Technology Park Ki-yeong will be awarded the Order of Service Merit Yellow Stripes. He co-authored the fabricated article on embryonic stem cell research with Hwang Woo-seok, the disgraced Seoul National University professor, and also caused troubles while the scandal was unfolding.

Former Cheong Wa Dae Chief of Staff Lee Byeong-wan, who now leads the Participatory Government Appraisal Forum, a pro-Roh Moo-hyun organization, will be given the Order of Service Merit Blue Stripes, and former Presidential Advisor for the Economy Jeong Moon-soo, who left his post after taking responsibility for the failure of Roh’s real estate polices, will be honored by receiving the Order of Service Merit Yellow Stripes.

Though the government cited their contributions to the “development of the nation and society by participating in running state affairs,” some have raised voices against the government move by saying that the awards amount to rewarding aides to the president with medals at the end of the presidential term. Yang Jeong-cheol, the presidential secretary on public relations, also received the Order of Service Merit Red Stripes a week or so ago for formulating and spearheading the press support scheme, which has widely been criticized for placing a gag on Korea’s press.

At a cabinet meeting presided over by President Roh yesterday, it was decided to offer medals to four previous Cheong Wa Dae advisors and 43 former ministers and vice ministers.

The Order of Service Merit is the top award for public officials. The Blue Stripes is awarded to officials at the minister level, while the Yellow Stripes is for those at the vice-minister level, and the Red Stripes is for other high-ranking officials (from level one to three).

Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Cheon Ho-seon said at a regular briefing held on the same day, “It is customary to award medals to public officials above level three, including ministers and vice-ministers, and those who were in charge of running state affairs for more than one year. Until the previous administration, the mandatory working period was six months, but that has been extended to one year in the present administration.” But some officials, such as Byeong Yang-gyun, the disgraced former presidential aide for national policy, were excluded from awards for their involvement in corruption scandals and for triggering social problems, Cheon said.

In January 2006, when the Hwang Woo-seok scandal first surfaced, then presidential advisor Park Ki-yeong didn’t report to the president, even though he had been told by Hwang that some of the stem cells had been contaminated. When suspicions that a female researcher could have donated her eggs for the research arouse, he reported to the president that the allegation was not true. He was also suspected to have channeled research funding to Hwang in return for listing his name on the article as a co-author. However, President Roh appointed him last December as a member of the Presidential Advisory Committee.

When asked whether Park was eligible for the honor, Cheon said, “The prosecutorial investigation found no problem with him, and the government broadly recognized his contribution.”

Former Cheong Wa Dae Chief of Staff Lee Byeong-wan has led the pro-Roh group as the president’s special advisor after stepping down from his post in March.

Former presidential economic advisor Jeong Moon-soo was in charge of drawing up real estate policies, including the “3•30 Measure,” but when housing prices began soaring and the housing market was thrown into disorder, he tendered his resignation. He was also implicated in speculation allegations because he bought some 680 pyeong of farmland in Cheorwon-gun, Gangwon-do in his wife’s name.