▲ Former Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung (C) leaves the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul on July 16, 2026, after attending a hearing to review a warrant request for his arrest over allegations of abuse of authority related to the Dec. 3, 2024, martial law declaration. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, July 17 (Yonhap) -- The foreign ministry said Friday it has canceled the hiring of the daughter of former Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung as a researcher following allegations of preferential treatment during the recruitment process.

The ministry said it notified the applicant by email on May 29 that her final job offer had been revoked after a review by a recruitment inspection committee.

"The hiring decision was canceled in accordance with relevant laws and procedures after the committee determined that the applicant did not meet the qualifications specified in the recruitment notice," the ministry said in a release.

The ministry also said it has requested disciplinary action against officials involved in the process and referred the case to the government's Central Disciplinary Committee, without elaborating further.

Shim's daughter applied for a non-civil service researcher position at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy under the ministry in February last year and passed the document screening, written test and interview.

But allegations emerged that her work experience had been overstated and that documents she submitted had been accepted after the application deadline.

Some opposition lawmakers raised suspicions over possible preferential treatment in the recruitment process while her father was serving as the country's top prosecutor.

The controversy prompted the ministry to suspend a final decision on her hiring in April last year while seeking an audit by the Board of Audit and Inspection.

(END)

[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]