Hampyeong Police Send Hampyeong Cultural Center Director to Prosecution for Excessive Labor Cost Estimation

Excessive Accounting of Publication Costs Revealed in Seolhwajip

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Chunsu] The police have sent Mr. A, the director of Hampyeong Cultural Center, to the prosecution on charges of overestimating local government subsidies in connection with the production of a Hampyeong folklore booklet.

According to the Jeonnam Hampyeong Police Station on the 26th, the police recently referred Mr. A to the prosecution on charges of violating the Local Government Subsidy Management Act and fraud.

Mr. A is accused of overestimating publishing costs by about 43 million won and labor costs by about 4.9 million won during the production of two local folklore books after receiving a subsidy of 100 million won in 2017.

Police investigation revealed that although no actual oral recording, transcription, or publishing work was done, labor costs were inflated as if the work had been performed.

Earlier, a local humanities volunteer group raised allegations of unauthorized plagiarism, but since it falls under a crime requiring a complaint, it was not subject to investigation, and Hampyeong County reportedly discarded all folklore books following a request from the Academy of Korean Studies.