Judooseok, Jangseong County Governor, Booked on Charges Including 'Abuse of Authority to Obstruct Exercise of Rights' and 'Instigation of False Official Document Creation'

Contract Workers Demand Painting Government Officials' Homes in Specific Colors, Sparking Human Rights Controversy

A house in Jangseong-eup, Jangseong-gun, Jeollanam-do, with brown Spanish-style roof tiles painted yellow. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Chunsu] Yoo Doo-seok, former governor of Jangseong County, Jeonnam, is under police investigation for human rights violations after allegedly demanding that a contract public official paint their house a specific color.

On the 29th, the Jangseong Police Station in Jeonnam announced that Yoo Doo-seok, governor of Jangseong County, was booked without detention on charges including abuse of authority, obstruction of the exercise of rights, and instigation of false official document creation.

Yoo is accused of abusing his authority by ordering public official A, who was employed on a contract basis last year, to paint the roof and eaves of their house in yellow, the symbolic color of Jangseong County.

He was also charged with directing the responsible official to arbitrarily prepare a consent form from the party involved while allocating funds from the landscape improvement project budget for house painting expenses.

In November 2019, A built a European-style house with brown Spanish tiles on the roof in the urban area of Jangseong-eup, near the county office, intending to live there with their family.

Yoo’s demand reportedly began immediately after the house was completed, insisting that the roof and eaves be repainted yellow. This request was conveyed through A’s father-in-law, who worked as a reporter in the Jangseong area, and senior officials within the county office.

A filed a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission, stating that unable to endure Yoo’s persistent pressure, they repainted the roof, eaves, fence, and gate yellow and submitted a resignation letter due to mental distress.

The Human Rights Commission judged in June of this year that the case constituted a human rights violation, noting A’s inability to refuse the governor’s proposal due to employment instability as a contract worker and the hierarchical nature of the public service, which placed A in a subordinate position.

The Commission recommended that Yoo Doo-seok take follow-up measures such as restoring the original state or compensating for damages, but these have not yet been implemented.