Controversy Over Extravagant Overseas Training of Changwon City Council Members
39 Out of 45 Scheduled for Business Trips This Month
Members of the Changwon City Council in Gyeongnam Province have planned a group business trip to Europe, but the itinerary includes famous tourist attractions, leading to criticism that the trip is no different from a vacation abroad.
According to the Changwon City Council, out of 45 council members, 39 belonging to four standing committees (Planning and Administration; Economic Welfare and Women; Culture, Environment and City; Construction, Maritime and Agriculture) will sequentially embark on official overseas training starting this month, Yonhap News reported on the 24th.
"We will study Germany's 6th Industry success cases"… Visits to Heidelberg Castle and Cologne Cathedral
Ten members of the Construction, Maritime and Agriculture Committee will visit Germany and the Netherlands for 6 nights and 8 days from today until the 31st, supported by a total budget of 40 million KRW.
While the plan includes visiting local farmers' producer cooperatives and farmers' markets to examine successful cases of Germany's 6th industry, the itinerary also includes visits to well-known tourist spots such as Heidelberg Castle, Cologne Cathedral, and Dam Square in the Netherlands.
The committee states that they intend to observe the preservation and management status of cultural heritage during the trip, but evaluations suggest that the itinerary is not closely related to their official duties.
"Strengthening expertise in economy and welfare"… Prague Castle and Belvedere Palace
The Economic Welfare and Women Committee will visit Germany, the Czech Republic, and Austria for 7 nights and 9 days from the 27th, supported by a budget of 40 million KRW.
Although the purpose is to strengthen expertise in the economic and welfare fields, the related sites to be visited are limited to about seven places, including Dresden City Hall and Council, and the Fraunhofer IKTS research institute.
Visits to tourist attractions such as Prague Castle, ?esk? Krumlov Castle, the Mantle Bridge, Wolfgang Lake, Hohensalzburg Fortress, Mirabell Palace and Gardens, Sch?nbrunn Palace, and Belvedere Palace make up a larger portion of the itinerary.
During the same period, nine members of the Planning and Administration Committee will visit Hungary, Austria, and the Czech Republic, with their training also leaning towards a leisure trip.
Only about four places, including the Hungarian Disaster and Fire Safety Agency, Vienna City Council, Czech Fire Department, and Prague National Technical Library, have some relevance to their duties, while the rest of the itinerary includes numerous tourist spots such as Heroes' Square in Budapest, Gell?rt Hill, Sch?nbrunn Palace in Vienna, Mirabell Gardens, Prague Castle, and Wenceslas Square.
The budget for the Planning and Administration Committee members' Eastern European trip amounts to approximately 35.6 million KRW.
From April 3rd to 11th, ten members of the Culture, Environment and City Committee will visit the Czech Republic and Austria for 7 nights and 9 days with a budget of about 38.6 million KRW, and their itinerary also includes tourist attractions such as Prague Castle.
Not only council members but also about five city council officials from each standing committee will accompany the trip to Europe.
A representative from the Changwon City Council explained, "Due to COVID-19, we could not conduct overseas training the year before last and last year, so this year the budget was set higher than usual. A budget of 4 million KRW per member was allocated, and members will cover any excess costs themselves."
Civic groups: "It's surprising that leisure-style itineraries are still being planned"
Civic groups have criticized the overseas training as leisure trips, pointing out that the four standing committees with different official duties are all traveling to Europe and that visits to tourist attractions are inevitably included.
Jo Jeong-rim, Director of Policy Planning at Masan YMCA, said in an interview with Yonhap News, "Criticism has continued for over a decade, but it is still surprising that leisure-style itineraries are being planned. Ultimately, this is funded by taxpayers' money, so citizens have every right to be angry."
A Changwon City Council member explained, "The public generally perceives council members' overseas training as leisure trips, and such concerns were raised during the review process. Council members will be especially careful in their conduct to dispel these concerns."
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