A Public Official Who Received Flowers Crab, Skate, and Abalone as Bribes and Exchanged Them for Cash at a Sashimi Restaurant

File photo. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] An Incheon city official was caught by the Coast Guard for accepting seafood worth about 30 million won, including blue crabs and skate, as bribes from fishermen under the pretense of providing subsidies, and converting them into cash at a sashimi restaurant.

The Korea Coast Guard announced on the 12th that it had referred a senior official in his 50s, identified as Mr. A, to the prosecution without detention on charges of bribery and abuse of authority. The Coast Guard also non-detained 23 people, including fishermen, on charges of giving various seafood to Mr. A along with requests for favors.

Mr. A, who worked at Incheon City Hall and Ongjin County Office from 2017 until October last year, is accused of collecting seafood from 23 fishermen in the jurisdictional island areas by saying, "I will help you receive subsidies."

It was confirmed that not only fishermen but also employees of the Fisheries Cooperative handed seafood to Mr. A while requesting things like "Please allocate the budget" or "Please help us receive subsidies for building repairs."

Investigations revealed that Mr. A sometimes implicitly demanded seafood by saying things like "I heard 00 is good these days." The value of the seafood he received, including blue crabs, skate, and abalone, was estimated to be about 30 million won.

Mr. A sent the seafood he improperly obtained to a sashimi restaurant he frequently visited, converting it into cash, and some were used as meal expenses with acquaintances, according to the investigation.

It was also revealed that Mr. A pressured subordinate employees in charge of subsidy projects to ensure that fishermen who gave seafood could receive benefits, and helped fishing vessels caught by patrol boats avoid punishment.

Earlier, in October last year, the Coast Guard detected Mr. A's bribery charges and conducted a search and seizure of the offices of the Fisheries Departments of Incheon City and Ongjin County.

The Coast Guard considered Mr. A's charges serious and applied for an arrest warrant, but the court dismissed it, stating, "The suspect admits the charges and there is no risk of evidence destruction or flight."