Did They Suddenly Become Cautious During the LH Scandal?... Fourfold Increase in Public Officials' Discipline Lapses and Violations of the Farmland Act While Working at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport

Disciplinary Actions Against Ministry of Land Staff: 7 Cases Last Year → Already 31 Cases by September This Year
Temporary Decline Only During Period of Widespread Calls for Organizational Reform Amid LH Executives' Large-Scale Land Speculation Scandal

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] The number of disciplinary cases involving Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) officials has surged more than fourfold this year. This is interpreted as a result of the lax discipline among MOLIT officials, who seemed to be on their best behavior following the land speculation scandal involving Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) employees early last year, deteriorating again after a year. The disciplinary reasons include violations of the Farmland Act, raising concerns about conflicts of interest once again.

According to data received from MOLIT by the office of Kim Du-kwan, a member of the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, the number of disciplinary cases involving MOLIT officials, which totaled 7 from January to December last year, increased to 31 as of September this year, more than four times higher. While cases of lax discipline among employees were detected about once every two months last year, they have occurred about 3.4 times per month this year.

The number of disciplinary cases due to lax discipline among MOLIT officials was the only single-digit figure recorded last year. Looking at the number of disciplinary cases over the past five years, there were 25 cases in 2018 and 30 cases in 2019. Although the number significantly decreased in 2020 compared to the previous year, 15 cases still occurred, maintaining a double-digit figure. Then, in 2021, the number sharply dropped to 7 cases, which is interpreted as being influenced by the LH scandal that broke out early that year. It is analyzed that the officials only 'briefly' restrained themselves during the period when comprehensive organizational reform was demanded due to the large-scale land speculation scandal involving LH executives and employees.

When categorizing the disciplinary reasons for MOLIT officials this year, drunk driving was the most frequent with 9 cases (29.0%), followed by improper receipt of travel expenses (4 cases, 12.9%) and neglect of duty (4 cases, 12.9%). Sexual issues stemming from distorted perceptions, such as forced molestation (2 cases), illegal filming (2 cases), sexual harassment and power harassment (2 cases), accounted for 19.4% of the total, indicating disciplinary actions across various categories. Notably, there were 3 cases (9.7%) of MOLIT officials violating the Farmland Act, drawing criticism that the public service discipline, which was supposed to be reformed after last year’s LH land speculation scandal, is once again wavering.

The office of Assemblyman Kim Du-kwan pointed out, "The number of disciplinary cases is an unusually high figure compared to last year," and added, "It seems that the transitional period during the change of government has had an impact." He further stated, "The new government must strictly enforce discipline and correct this immediately."