Ordered Beeswax Material and Produced with Cheap Silicone... Reported for Legal Action
Mokpo City Detects Illegal Activities in Audit of Kim Dae-jung Nobel Peace Prize Memorial Hall
The Kim Dae-jung Nobel Peace Prize Memorial Hall in Mokpo City, Jeollanam-do, was found to have illegal and improper issues during the process of creating wax figures of former President Kim Dae-jung and his wife.
According to the city on the 14th, a regular audit conducted in the second half of last year on the Kim Dae-jung Nobel Peace Prize Memorial Hall revealed problems such as neglecting to verify the production capability and delivery performance of the object, resulting in a contract with an inappropriate company through a private contract, and it was decided to report the matter to investigative authorities.
Originally, the project plan stipulated that the figures of the former president and his wife would be made of wax material, but the actual contract was signed with a silicone figure manufacturer, not a wax figure manufacturer. Silicone is known to be more than 10 million KRW cheaper than wax depending on the material.
Wax figures of former President Kim Dae-jung and his wife stored in the Kim Dae-jung Nobel Peace Prize Memorial Hall storage [Photo by Reader]
Additionally, although it was required to obtain and compare estimates from two or more companies at the time of contract, the manufacturer submitted falsified estimates under the names of other companies besides their own, and the officials in charge at the time were found to have signed the contract despite being aware of this.
While paying the project expenses, the payment was made to the account of an individual company, not the originally contracted corporate entity, and the tax invoice was also issued as an individual tax invoice, not a corporate one.
In particular, when there were defects in the product or significant differences from the ordered product, the memorial hall staff, who should have refused acceptance, falsely documented that the delivery was made within the completion date when it was difficult to deliver on time, and processed it as if delivered upon completion.
The figure installed on the second floor of the Kim Dae-jung Nobel Peace Prize Memorial Hall in March 2021 was removed by Mokpo City in January this year and stored in the memorial hall’s storage after visitors repeatedly pointed out that it did not resemble the actual person.
A city official stated, “As a result of the 2023 audit, we requested correction of the wrong parts,” adding, “The pointed-out issues have not yet been corrected.”
He continued, “We have reported the related matters for investigation,” and “Actions will be taken according to the investigation results.”
Meanwhile, the Kim Dae-jung Nobel Peace Prize Memorial Hall was opened and operated by Mokpo City in 2013 to serve as an experiential historical education venue based on objective facts and materials, conveying the meaning and value of democracy, human rights, and peace through the life of former President Kim Dae-jung.
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