Kim Jin-wook, spokesperson for Gyeonggi Province, expressed strong regret over the prosecution's search and seizure on the 22nd at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government briefing room.
[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province expressed strong regret over the prosecution's search and seizure of the Gyeonggi Provincial Government office. In particular, it condemned the prosecution for including Governor Kim Dong-yeon's PC in the search and seizure targets, calling it an outrageous act.
Kim Jin-wook, spokesperson for Gyeonggi Province, held a briefing at 2 p.m. on the 22nd at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government office and stated, "The prosecution conducted a search and seizure at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government office from this morning regarding allegations of remittance to North Korea involving former Peace Vice Governor Lee Hwa-young," adding, "This search and seizure has effectively brought provincial administration to a halt, and we express deep regret."
He continued, "The search and seizure today included Governor Kim Dong-yeon's PC as a target," criticizing, "To conduct a search and seizure of Governor Kim Dong-yeon's office is beyond common sense."
Spokesperson Kim questioned, "What connection does Governor Kim Dong-yeon's PC, who took office in July last year, have with former Peace Vice Governor Lee Hwa-young, who retired in January 2020?" He then directly criticized, "The Gyeonggi Provincial Government moved to the Gwanggyo new office building in May last year, and indiscriminately including places unrelated to Lee Hwa-young's tenure as targets of search and seizure is an excessive investigation."
Furthermore, he added, "The search and seizure today extensively included not only the governor's office but also three vice governors' offices, the Planning and Coordination Office, the Peace Cooperation Bureau, as well as the Agricultural Technology Center and the Gyeonggi Provincial Council," emphasizing, "While Gyeonggi Province has faithfully cooperated with the prosecution's investigation so far, conducting such a broad search and seizure on subjects and work materials unrelated to the charges under investigation is unprecedented and is causing enormous disruption to provincial administration."
Spokesperson Kim asserted, "Since Governor Kim Dong-yeon took office, this is the thirteenth search and seizure executed at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government office, averaging twice a month. Gyeonggi Province is already undergoing an institutional operation audit by the Board of Audit and Inspection, and the excessive search and seizure of the provincial government office has already crossed the line."
He especially emphasized, "There must be no occurrence of provincial administrative work being hindered by the prosecution's excessive search and seizure, causing harm to the residents of Gyeonggi Province," and added, "The morale of public officials dedicated to Gyeonggi Province administration must not be undermined."
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