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Aerial view of Korea Aerospace Industries’ headquarters in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province (Photo courtesy of KAI) |
[Alpha Biz= Kim Jisun] Controversy is intensifying over the appointment of a new chief executive at Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), as the company remains without a CEO for eight months and labor unions strongly oppose the leading candidate, citing concerns over expertise and the legitimacy of the selection process.
On the 26th, KAI’s labor union released a statement warning that concerns are mounting over a rushed appointment after learning that the board may reconsider placing the CEO appointment agenda back on the table at an emergency meeting scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on the 27th.
A union official said the location of the emergency board meeting has not been disclosed, adding that there appears to be growing momentum to push through the appointment.
The most prominent candidate for the post is Kim Jong-chul, former head of the Unmanned Systems Program Division at the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA). Kim is a graduate of the Korea Air Force Academy (Class 31) and served as an Air Force officer for more than 23 years before joining DAPA in 2006 through a special recruitment program at Grade 4 level. He later held several positions, including head of the Defense Export Support Team, director of Creative Innovation, and head of the Offset Trade Division, before retiring in 2019 as chief of the unmanned systems division.
The union is strongly opposed to Kim’s candidacy, noting that he, like former KAI CEO Kang Goo-young, comes from a military background.
“The candidate has no verified management experience overseeing fixed-wing aircraft system development and production, such as the T-50 or KF-21 programs, nor in global marketing or managing large-scale organizations,” the union said. “We strongly question whether he possesses the professional expertise and on-the-ground understanding required to lead a multi-trillion-won aerospace company.”
The union further claimed that Kim was reportedly eliminated from consideration for the head of the aerospace division at the Gyeongnam Technopark due to a lack of expertise, and that his past media comments describing former CEO Kang as a “masterstroke” appointment have fueled concerns over continuity with the previous management.
KAI had initially planned to place the CEO appointment agenda on the board’s meeting agenda on the 25th, but the item was abruptly withdrawn. In response, union members departed Sacheon at 3 a.m. and entered the board meeting venue at KAI’s Seoul office at 8:30 a.m., protesting the legitimacy of the selection process and the qualifications of the nominee.
At the meeting, union chairman Kim Seung-gu questioned why earlier discussions—reportedly based on a shortlist of two candidates selected by the CEO Recommendation Committee—were disregarded after the Lunar New Year holiday, and how Kim, a former DAPA official with ties to DAPA Administrator Lee Yong-cheol, emerged as the leading candidate.
Union officials said the CEO appointment agenda had clearly existed at the board meeting but was removed following their objections to the selection process.
Former CEO Kang was widely viewed as an appointee of the previous Yoon Suk Yeol administration, a perception that left him labeled as a “parachute appointment.” The union stressed that a similar pattern must not be repeated.
The union warned it would launch an all-out struggle if the appointment is forced through. Earlier in the day, it held a rally at the Sacheon Workers’ Welfare Center, joined by leaders of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions Gyeongnam Branch and workers from the western Gyeongnam region, calling for the withdrawal and full reconsideration of Kim’s nomination.
“If the government pushes ahead with the same appointment practices it once criticized, it would amount to public deception,” the union said. “If the head of a national strategic industry is chosen based on political interests and insider connections, KAI will be reduced from a technology-driven company to a political trophy.”
KAI, for its part, said it could not confirm whether an emergency board meeting would be held on the 27th.
Alphabiz Reporter Kim Jisun(stockmk2020@alphabiz.co.kr)
