The Presidential Security Service, which allegedly allowed Choi Soon-sil and her aides free rein in Cheong Wa Dae, has recommended dozens of its agents for the annual presidential awards.

The body directly responsible for the president has recently been blasted by local media outlets after it was revealed that Choi, a private citizen with no official government title, and her aides visited Cheong Wa Dae freely to meet with the president.

Choi is now in custody over suspicions of amassing illegal profits by exploiting her close tie with Park.

Security staff at the Main securty post of Cheong Wa Dae (Yonhap)The Korea Herald on Friday obtained a document from the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs that specifies 34 candidates from the Presidential Security Service to be nominated for governmental awards and presidential citations.

The ministry is in charge of receiving recommendation lists from other branches for multiple presidential awards.

The 34 agents on the recommendation list, who all belong to the Presidential Security Service, are likely to be approved by the president once the ministry finishes revising the list. Details regarding who they are and on what merit they would be recognized have not yet revealed.

Constitutional Chief Justice Park Han-chul and Justice Lee Jung-mi called the recommendation list “hilarious,” saying, “Awarding a prize to the security staff who failed to perform security checks properly is nonsense.”

The ministry told The Korea Herald on the issue that there is nothing wrong with providing government awards to suitable public servants.

“We receive recommendation lists every quarter and this is just one of them,” an official said.

By Bak Se-hwan (sh@heraldcorp.com)