[Exclusive] Prosecution Begins 'Preliminary Investigation' into Uiryeong County Council... Allegations of Forcing Contracts with 'Specific Companies'

Prosecutors: "Cannot Disclose Specific Details"

Military Official: "Will Hand Over Related Materials to Prosecutors"

The prosecution is reported to have launched a preliminary investigation into the members of the Uiryeong-gun Council in Gyeongnam Province. A preliminary investigation is a stage before an official investigation begins. If it leads to a formal investigation, it would be an unprecedented situation where all council members could become subjects of investigation since the establishment of the Uiryeong-gun Council.

Changwon District Prosecutors' Office Masan Branch. [Image provided by Yonhap News]

On the 30th, the Masan Branch of Changwon District Prosecutors' Office stated, "It is true that we requested related materials from Uiryeong-gun," but added, "We cannot disclose specific details."

Uiryeong-gun also announced on the same day, "We have recently received a request from the prosecution for related materials concerning the council members and are currently reviewing them."

A county official said, "We cannot disclose specific details, but we expect to hand over the requested materials to the prosecution as early as next week."

The prosecution's request for materials appears to be for fact-checking and preliminary investigation purposes.

This preliminary investigation by the prosecution is presumed to be in response to recent media reports.

On the 19th, a media outlet reported allegations that the Uiryeong-gun Council forced a specific company into a private contract. Additionally, on the 27th, the outlet continued to report articles related to the contract coercion.

The outlet stated that Uiryeong-gun allocated a budget of 3 billion won over two years to facilitate the council members' legislative activities, but the council members allegedly coerced related officials to sign contracts with specific companies that had vested interests with themselves, deviating from the original purpose.

Furthermore, allegations have been raised that the council members received kickbacks during this process, leading to growing calls for investigation even within the public service sector.

In particular, the media outlet mentioned specific council members and included claims from officials who were coerced by them.

Meanwhile, the Uiryeong-gun Council has recently faced public backlash as dissatisfaction within the public service community has intensified due to controversies involving some council members repeatedly abusing their power and using abusive language toward public officials.