We hardly need to repeat that many members of Korea’s elite have problems with their competence and ethical standards. But recent cases tell us that too many people in this society have reached high places despite lacking the professional and personal qualities required of them.

Nothing illustrated this better than the case of Lee Wan-koo, the man who is taking over the No. 2 post in the administration despite a host of questions about his qualifications. Lee managed to get the votes to be approved as prime minister by the National Assembly on Monday, but his leadership has already been damaged by the controversies that raged during the vetting process.

Lee had all the usual problems found in candidates for high government posts, with allegations and suspicions surfacing about his and his son’s exemption from compulsory military service, plagiarism and his and his family’s wealth, to mention a few.

Lee then boosted the already strong public skepticism about his nomination by making controversial comments about the media without knowing that he was being recorded. Hearing the recording ― in which he boasted about his personal connections with senior media people and bragged that he could even affect their personnel decisions ― one cannot help but wonder how he has enjoyed such a successful career.

Some might say Lee’s words were just a slip of tongue. But the problem of a loose and foul tongue is prevalent among the Korean elite. So it was not surprising though it was outrageous, when an opposition lawmaker compared our late leaders to Adolf Hitler.

It was astonishing, however, to hear about the extremely nasty and malicious messages a senior judge posted on the Internet. Presumably an ultra rightist, he described the late President Roh Moo-hyun as a “king of jumping” ― an apparent reference to his suicide in 2009.

About the participants in the candlelight protests against the importation of U.S. beef, he wrote that he would like to “cleave their nuts with an ax.”

He also said he longed for the days when past authoritarian governments committed torture.

If this judge is on the far right, a teacher on the opposite end of the ideological spectrum also went too far.

A teacher recruited by the liberal education superintendent in Seoul called the president a “criminal,” “murderer” and “ringleader,” during the height of the public uproar over the sinking of the Sewol ferry. He also said setting up a “people’s court” ― seemingly one similar to the kangaroo court in North Korea ― would be the shortcut to establishing a democratic republic.

We witness many who indulge in exclusive ideologies, extreme biases and hate politics, but if these are remarks made by a judge and a teacher, we cannot expect our judiciary branch and educators to maintain a due level of political neutrality and ethical standards.

There are many who are unfit for high places in the private sector as well ― like the heiress of the nation’s biggest airline who treated company staff like slaves, as the presiding judge in the “nut rage” case put it.

All the recent cases bring us to the reality that many of our elite have reached positions they should not have held. What’s fortunate is that the level of transparency and ethical standards and the power of our civil society are improving, allowing us to remove or damage them one by one.