Incheon City Official Found Guilty of Manipulating Turbidity Levels During 2019 'Red Tap Water' Incident

An Incheon city official was found guilty of manipulating turbidity levels at a water purification plant to cover up the 'Incheon Red Tap Water' incident that occurred four years ago.

Judge Hong Jun-seo of the Incheon District Court Criminal Division 5 sentenced Incheon city official A (53, female), who was charged with falsifying electronic records, to 8 months in prison with a 1-year probation during the sentencing hearing held on the 1st.

Additionally, two other Incheon city officials, B (53, male) and another, who were charged with the same offenses, received suspended sentences, while another official C (58, male) was acquitted. A suspended sentence postpones the sentencing for a certain period for minor crimes, and if two years pass from the suspension date, the case is effectively considered null.

Judge Hong stated in court that "three defendants were found guilty of some charges and not guilty of others," but did not provide specific reasons. Previously, in the sentencing hearing held in December last year, the prosecution requested prison terms ranging from 4 months to 1 year for A and three others.

Police raided the Incheon Metropolitan Waterworks Headquarters during the 'Red Tap Water' incident
[Photo by Yonhap News]

The Incheon Red Tap Water incident occurred on May 30, 2019, during the 'water system switch' process where water from the Susang Purification Plant in Namdong-gu was supplied to the Gongchon Purification Plant's supply area in Seo-gu, Incheon. The water pressure in the existing pipeline was excessively increased, causing sediment inside the pipes to dislodge. It is estimated that 261,000 households (635,000 people) in the Gongchon Purification Plant's supply area were affected by the discolored water.

A and three others were indicted without detention on charges of manipulating turbidity levels at the Gongchon Purification Plant during the water system switch on the day the red tap water incident occurred. Although the turbidity level exceeded the accident standard of 0.5 NTU, they took no action and switched the turbidity meter to 'maintenance' mode, recording a level close to the normal 0.06 NTU in the water quality inspection log.

A and B currently work at Incheon city and its affiliated organizations respectively, while the other two work at two purification offices under the Incheon City Waterworks Headquarters.