Various Lawsuits and Police Dispatch... Escalation of Internal Conflicts within 5·18 Organizations

Injured Veterans Association Holds Meeting on Chairman Hwang Il-bong's Dismissal Proposal

Chairman Hwang Takes Strong Step to Suspend Committee Position...Claims Null and Void

Injunction Application, Embezzlement, Obstruction of Business, De

In May 1980, some of the 5·18 organizations representing Gwangju have been embroiled in internal turmoil as various allegations, including embezzlement of government subsidies and the involvement of unofficial power brokers, have surfaced. Conflicts have deepened amid rampant lawsuits and accusations among members.

Within the 5·18 Democratic Movement Victims Association, one of the three May organizations, a move to dismiss Chairman Hwang Il-bong has been detected. In response, Chairman Hwang has taken a drastic step by unilaterally dismissing the disciplinary committee members, pushing the situation toward a de facto crisis.

On the afternoon of the 14th, a disciplinary committee meeting chaired by Hwang Il-bong was held at the 5·18 Victims Association office. The disciplinary committee requested that all persons except Chairman Hwang leave the meeting room to hold a closed session in the chairman's office, but Hwang claimed the meeting was invalid, leading to a heated exchange of voices.

On the morning of the 14th, when Chairman Hwang was scheduled to be summoned, the 5·18 Democratic Movement Injured Persons Association's Disciplinary Committee meeting was held at the Injured Persons Association office in Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City. The scene was filled with swearing and loud shouting, prompting the police to intervene and mediate.
[Photo by Min Hyun-gi]

The five members of the disciplinary committee have been dismissed from their positions, and even if the dismissal is invalid, among the three disciplinary committee members present that day, one was never appointed as a committee member, so the majority is not met, making it impossible to proceed according to the bylaws.

As the gap between the two sides' positions failed to narrow and tensions escalated, the police intervened to mediate. Chairman Hwang's side claimed 'business obstruction' and demanded the removal of the disciplinary committee members, while the disciplinary committee side requested the police to order the removal of Hwang's close aides, excluding the chairman, so the meeting could proceed.

The police concluded the matter by separating the two sides, citing that the results of the injunction to suspend the effect of the disciplinary committee members' dismissal had not yet been issued.

The disciplinary committee side clearly asked Chairman Hwang for an explanation regarding the dismissal motion, but when Hwang did not respond, they said there would be no further opportunity for explanation and then disbanded.

There had been an earlier commotion. On the 6th, the Victims Association convened an emergency board meeting regarding the dismissal of Chairman Hwang. The reasons for dismissal included proceeding with a joint declaration ceremony with the Special Forces Comrades Association despite a major local upheaval in February, holding a press conference opposing the establishment of the Jeong Yul-seong Historical Park, abusing authority by blocking staff access to the Victims Association website outsourced to an external company, and neglecting duties by not approving numerous administrative documents.

The next day, on the 7th, a disciplinary review committee meeting on the dismissal motion for Chairman Hwang was held, and Hwang visited the disciplinary committee to deliver dismissal notices to the secretary-general, organization director, disciplinary committee chair, and committee members.

The dismissal notices were drafted in Hwang's own handwriting without going through the board meeting, prompting the disciplinary committee members to file an injunction with the court to suspend the effect of the dismissal.

As the situation escalated, Chairman Hwang of the Victims Association and Chairman Jeong Seong-guk of the Meritorious Persons Association claimed that the organization was being manipulated by an unofficial power broker, a 5·18 organization member A (62 years old).

The disciplinary committee filed a complaint with the police on the 7th, accusing Chairman Hwang of unauthorized intrusion and 'obstruction of business' during the closed disciplinary committee meeting. Meanwhile, Chairman Hwang's side and the Meritorious Persons Association submitted petitions to the prosecution demanding investigations into A and other Victims Association executives on charges of embezzlement and breach of trust. A responded by filing a defamation complaint in August against two auditors of the Meritorious Persons Association who mentioned A's involvement in recruitment in their audit report.

This conflict began with an internal audit of the 5·18 Democratic Movement Meritorious Persons Association in July.

Two standing auditors of the Meritorious Persons Association conducted an internal audit and found that since the association's launch in January last year, attendance records were not maintained, and unauthorized absences were recorded as attendance, indicating falsification of documents.

Additionally, it was revealed that two drivers who had never reported to work since their hiring earlier this year were paid a total of 10.56 million KRW from government subsidies, and that about 30 million KRW of national support funds received from the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, which should have been returned if unused, were used to purchase a used car that was resold a month later at a loss of 5.4 million KRW.

The audit report included A's name, and Chairman Jeong Seong-guk of the Meritorious Persons Association claimed that A visited the association's office and threatened, saying, "Couldn't you even stop my name from appearing in the audit report? I will appoint another chairman."

Furthermore, upon learning of the Meritorious Persons Association's situation, the Victims Association reviewed its own documents and found that A, a member of the Victims Association, had been involved in various corrupt activities. Chairman Hwang's position is that when he refused to approve or rejected documents that appeared to be corrupt, A attempted to replace him.

In response, A explained, "Chairman Hwang has been active in the 5·18 movement for less than three years, while I have been involved for over 30 years. Although it is true that I have close ties with 5·18 organization officials, it is not true that I have interfered in business or internal affairs of the organizations."