Gyeongnam Provincial Office Executive Who Searched Employee's Car and Home to Find Stolen Documents Sent to Prosecution

An executive-level public official who ordered searches of employees' homes and vehicles to find the culprit of a theft incident at the Gyeongnam Provincial Government Office has been referred to the prosecution.

The Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency announced on the 21st that Director A and Manager B, affiliated with the provincial government office, were recently sent to prosecution on charges of abuse of authority.

They are accused of ordering searches of employees' vehicles and homes without internal regulations or employee consent.

Gyeongnam Provincial Government Office.
Photo by Lee Seryeong

On August 30, the Gyeongnam Provincial Government Office reported that official documents related to the appointment of temporary public officials for the 6th Gyeongnam Province term, which were stored in office lockers, were stolen.

Following this, the relevant department issued orders to investigate employees' vehicles and residences.

The culprit was identified as Mr. C, a man in his 30s who had taken the exam. Unable to enter through the security entrance due to building security, he used a ladder in the middle of the night to climb the exterior wall and break into the building to commit the crime.

The incident came to light when a post appeared on the Gyeongnam Provincial Government Employees' Union website stating that an executive public official demanded a confession from an employee and searched the employee's vehicle and home.

Apology and Explanation from Senior Public Officials. [Image source: Gyeongnam Provincial Government Employees' Union website]

Director A posted an apology on the Gyeongnam Provincial Government Employees' Union website on September 1, two days after the incident occurred, but the union filed a complaint against Director A with the police.

The union criticized, "The executive public official violated human rights by exerting undue pressure on internal staff and labeling them as potential criminals. Even if it was suspected to be an internal act since no signs of external intrusion were found at the time, searching personal lockers and investigating vehicles and homes was beyond common sense."

During the investigation, the police confirmed that Manager B was also involved in the same charges and referred him to the prosecution together.