Yangsan City Conducts Audit on Various Allegations Related to Mayor Kim Il-gwon

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Sang-hyun] Yangsan City in Gyeongnam announced on the 17th that it will conduct a special internal audit regarding various allegations related to Mayor Kim Il-gwon, which were recently raised by some media outlets.

The city stated that, as the trust in administration and employee morale have declined recently, it will focus on auditing the allegations that have been continuously raised by some parts of civil society following consecutive media reports, in order to clearly distinguish the facts and clarify responsibility.

The special audit team is composed of 9 members in 2 groups, led by Vice Mayor Baek Seung-seop, and to ensure the fairness of the audit, employees from other departments with expertise in relevant fields, besides the audit officer, will also participate in the audit.

The special audit team will thoroughly investigate all allegations raised so far, excluding cases currently under police investigation or litigation, such as favoritism in assigning work to relatives and close associates in various construction projects, and violations of the code of conduct related to reporting private interests, uncovering all corruption suspicions surrounding the mayor.

The city stated that if any illegal acts are confirmed in the handling of affairs as a result of this special audit, internal disciplinary actions will be taken under a zero-tolerance policy, and if necessary, follow-up measures such as requesting investigations and filing complaints will be carried out.

Vice Mayor Baek said, “To dispel citizens' concerns, we cannot avoid conducting a comprehensive investigation into the recently raised allegations,” and added, “We will thoroughly investigate all reported content in the media to clarify the truth without any doubt.”