Lee Tae-sik, president of the Korean Federation of Science and Technology Societies (KOFST), abruptly resigned on the 21st amid numerous allegations of misconduct, including harassment of employees and misappropriation of operational expenses. This is understood as him taking responsibility for the controversies that arose following the Ministry of Science and ICT's comprehensive audit results.
According to the Ministry of Science and ICT's audit report, President Lee was accused of workplace harassment, such as forcing specific employees to drink punitive shots at KOFST company dinners and ordering their dismissal from positions through the personnel committee. Furthermore, it was revealed that he made inappropriate expenditures, including pre-payments at hotels with operational funds and purchasing laptops and mobile phones worth millions of won. Notably, the audit report highlighted as a major point of criticism that he increased monthly operational expenses without board approval, despite KOFST carrying a massive debt of 58.7 billion won.
In addition, President Lee was also accused of conflicts of interest and providing preferential treatment, such as excessively allocating entertainment expenses despite being a non-standing executive, funneling service contracts to a company where his child is the largest shareholder, and offering discounts on meeting room rentals to acquaintances. Following the public release of the audit report, there was a barrage of demands for President Lee's immediate resignation from within KOFST, particularly from the union and executive staff. Although President Lee expressed his intention to resign, it was initially reported that he intended to remain in his position until September and even obtained security pledges from employees not to disclose related information to external parties, leading to further criticism. During this process, internal conflict deepened, with two vice presidents appointed by President Lee also tendering their resignations.
Ultimately, President Lee stated, "I gravely accept the various controversies and situations that have recently arisen," expressing his intention to resign and stepping down from the presidency as of that day. In accordance with its articles of association, KOFST will now begin the process of electing a successor. This incident is expected to serve as a renewed reminder of the importance of transparent and sound operation for KOFST, which is burdened with substantial debt.
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