단상斷想

It seems that MBC, which reported on the president interrupting the words of Choi Dong-seok, the nominee for the head of the Ministry of Personnel Management, was not so much displeased with the progressive figure, but rather dissatisfied with the individual Choi Dong-seok, who was evaluating someone who was well-educated or in a higher position in the organization. MBC has been doing a good job of drawing a line between itself and the pro-Japanese government, but there are few professional groups who live as well as broadcasters because they are so good at what they do. This is especially true for those in the humanities, and it is even more so in the broadcasting industry, where the humanities are the mainstream. They do not take issue with their own social skills, which have been learned and brainwashed with fake history, but there are many egoistic figures who find it difficult to accept someone's nagging, criticism, or pointing out. In fact, I heard that the president cuts off everyone's words and conducts practical meetings, so you can see how much the broadcasting industry takes for granted its biased power as a gatekeeper.

Choi Dong-seok is evaluated to have abundant experience and expertise in personnel and organizational management, having served as the head of the Personnel Organization Reform Team at the Bank of Korea and the Vice President in charge of Personnel Organization at Kyobo Life Insurance. He is considered an expert who has accumulated experience in personnel and organizational management in both the public and private sectors. He is a talent who has been actively writing in the fields of domestic personnel management and organizational innovation and operating a YouTube channel called 'Choi Dong-seok Personnel Organization Research Institute'. However, recently, his past public remarks have become controversial, facing strong criticism from some parts of society. MBC, a huge media outlet that had never even glanced at him when he was just a YouTuber, stepped in with the question, "Who are you?", through the Foundation for Broadcast Culture, the major shareholder of MBC, in both private and public aspects, as he rose to a position to verify government personnel. The fact that they did not use such checks and balances against anyone in the previous government can also be interpreted as Choi Dong-seok being able to do the necessary personnel verification for the Lee Jae-myung government well.

This situation provides an important implication that the media's unique government intervention beyond the balance between an expert's outspoken remarks and maintaining dignity as a public official has come to light.

Director Choi Dong-seok has been recognized for his unique expertise in the field of personnel organization. He worked at the Bank of Korea for 20 years as the head of the personnel organization reform team, and in 1999, he served as a policy advisor to the Central Personnel Committee, accumulating practical experience based on a deep understanding of the public sector personnel system. Afterwards, he worked as Vice President in charge of personnel organization at Kyobo Life Insurance, a private company, and acquiring innovative private personnel management techniques is also a major strength. His expertise was especially manifested in the consistent awareness that private sector perspectives should be actively introduced to innovate the rigid public service. His critical approach to the vested rights-oriented bureaucratic culture and his views on the introduction of a performance-based personnel system have been recognized to the extent that he is regarded as 'one of the few personnel organization experts' even in the progressive camp. This can be seen as a result of professional insight beyond ideological bias. As a writer who only knows YouTuber Choi Dong-seok, I thought that it would be nice if the government was filled with people who are good at their jobs, as his somewhat slow speech contains bone and flesh, and only people who have been verified by him. The work of making HRM and HRD understandable to the general public is very important. If the experience of thinking about what kind of people companies and institutions are hiring can make talent more talented, then companies and institutions at the top, intoxicated with the power of devilish editing, may become the target of public attacks and criticism in the future.

On July 29, 2025, Choi Dong-seok said, "I am very sorry that I am becoming famous these days," regarding the controversy over his harsh remarks. This statement was interpreted as revealing a lack of awareness of satire on the authority of the media that drives the seriousness of the situation, and was criticized more strongly. Looking at the details of the controversy, it was confirmed that Chief Choi said in a video posted on his YouTube channel on the 14th of last month that the Moon Jae-in government's 'Seven Principles for Completely Excluding High-Ranking Public Officials' was a 'very stupid standard' and 'that's why the country was ruined.' In addition, it was found that he specifically pointed out Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Strategy and Finance Koo Yun-cheol and criticized him, saying, "The Blue House and the Cabinet have been captured by Mofia (a combination of the Ministry of Strategy and Finance and Mafia)." These remarks are criticized for greatly damaging the dignity of public officials because they go beyond simple policy criticism and include personal insults and inappropriate expressions. The People Power Party is calling for the resignation of Chief Choi, saying, "They have entrusted personnel innovation to a YouTuber who makes harsh remarks," and pressure to resign is mounting, centering on the opposition party. As the controversy continues, a critical atmosphere is also being detected within the ruling party. However, this reaction was a dangerous self-righteousness that politically interpreted the expert's policy criticism as being pointed out in terms of morality and driving it to a personal level. If you say the right thing, they will stand up, and if you criticize someone in a high position, they will stand up even more. However, it is a shameful thing that the People Power Party raised its voice in criticizing the Mofia cabinet, revealing the vulgar and corrupt personality level of Korean politicians who are simply pretending to be big after shitting.

It is a right and duty that must be protected in a democratic society for experts to confidently raise critical issues with reality and institutions. In particular, the Minister of Personnel Management has the responsibility to establish competence, fairness, and neutrality in the public service and to cultivate future national talents. In such organizational innovation agendas, the role of 'experts who voice uncomfortable opinions' is clearly important and should rather be actively encouraged. Looking at the intensity and aspects of the current criticism of Minister Choi Dong-seok, it reveals a serious problem in our society that it cannot tolerate the outspoken remarks of experts. Sharp criticism of policies is an essential element of healthy democracy, but it is a very worrying phenomenon to dismiss it as 'reckless remarks' and expand it into personal attacks. Attempts to judge even policy criticisms based on professional opinions with moral and political standards run the risk of undermining the free discussion culture of the expert community. Furthermore, it is a matter of celebration in many ways that Minister Choi Dong-seok became the person in charge of personnel affairs of the country at the age of nearly seventy. We should be concerned about the future in which the foolishness and low-quality jealousy of Korean society as a whole, which cannot accept the sound of an adult-like adult, will become a boomerang and manifest in their own children's generation.

If society unconditionally makes the beliefs and opinions of experts subject to disciplinary action, the driving force for future public service and, furthermore, national innovation will inevitably be extremely weakened. Unconditionally punishing or stigmatizing reasonable criticism based on expertise in one's major field stifles a culture of creative debate and discourages courageous expressions of belief in the future. There is a concern that even within expert groups, discussions of self-purification and innovation will disappear, and a vicious cycle will occur in which colorless and odorless personnel who cater to popular popularity or temporary public opinion are repeatedly appointed. In particular, in a society like Korea, where authoritarian culture is strong, the critical voice of experts is even more valuable. Without sharp criticism of the privileged or existing policies, innovation in organizations and society is impossible. Even if there are shortcomings in the way it is expressed (I think there is no problem and it is gentle), the problem consciousness raised by experts such as Director Choi Dong-seok should be seriously reviewed for its core content and professional insight.

Of course, even experts should maintain a certain level of dignity and courtesy in public statements. Not being able to distinguish between policy criticism and personal attacks is a clear limitation. However, the current controversy is becoming more serious as it is turning into a situation where experts' beliefs themselves are being eradicated under the pretext of the way they express themselves. The expert community also needs self-reflection, but in Korea, the expert community is even cheaper. There is no place that is not rotten, including the master's and doctoral programs that you can attend if you pay, and the ghostwritten thesis practices. Even if it is an animal kingdom society that uses souls and their genitals as weapons if it only involves money, we must know how to accept the critical views of experts and acknowledge the final tolerance and mature shame. Expertise is a value that should be respected in itself, and even professional insights should not be sold off due to immaturity in the way of expression.

His expertise and practical experience in personnel organization remain valuable assets, and policy recommendations based on this should continue to be heeded. What our society should pursue is a mature public discourse culture where constructive discussions based on mutual respect take place while protecting the convictions of experts. It is desirable to create an environment where experts can freely express critical opinions without being intimidated, but to ensure that their expression is dignified and courteous. If the current atmosphere of excessively attacking experts' statements of conviction continues, we will eventually lose the driving force for innovation and be left with only mediocre bureaucrats. The Choi Dong-seok director controversy is like a 'strong arm' of the rogue political and business circles that cannot accept the outspoken remarks of an expert and an adult's scolding. When morality disappears, the sexes are reversed and the top and bottom are reversed. In this Korean society, I wish Choi Dong-seok, the head of the office, who is like a refreshing drink, all the best.