Interpreted as Feeling Burdened by Allegations of Personnel Authority Involvement and Whistleblower Identification
High Public Demand for Investigation Request as Chungnam Province Lacks Audit Authority over Elected County Governors
Seocheon County in Chungnam announced on the 19th that it has decided to request an audit from Chungnam Province to ensure a fair investigation into allegations of misconduct involving County Governor Kim Gi-woong and team-level public officials.
An employee, presumed to be a county office worker, reported allegations of misconduct by Governor Kim Gi-woong, team-level officials, and some staff members on the Chungnam Provincial Government's People’s Petition and Public Interest Reporting platform on the 3rd. The province sent related documents to the county on the 4th, just one day later, instructing them to conduct an internal audit.
However, there was widespread skepticism about whether a transparent and fair audit could be conducted internally. Given that the governor, who holds personnel authority, was implicated and there were suspicions of identifying the whistleblower, it was interpreted that the county felt burdened to carry out a proper investigation.
Nonetheless, even if Chungnam Province conducts an audit, it lacks the authority to investigate an elected county governor, leading public opinion to believe that the truth must ultimately be uncovered through a referral to judicial authorities for investigation.
Following allegations of misconduct against the governor and team-level officials, a county office worker posted on the Saeol Administrative System’s free bulletin board on the 13th a message titled "Revealing Whistleblower X Who Elevated the Prestige of Our Seocheon Nationwide."
The official criticized, "The frivolity of shaking the body in rhythm at the log cabin, the pettiness of clinking wine glasses shouting ‘Nice shot, boss,’ the vulgarity of flattering around the madam like a lapdog, the foolishness of making colleagues carry fruit snacks just to get ahead, the bravery that doesn’t know whether it’s illegal or loyalty,” adding, “No need to look far. One or all of these is the whistleblower."
Meanwhile, a person presumed to be an employee working at Seocheon County Office, identified as A, reported on the 3rd via the Chungnam Provincial Government’s People’s Petition and Public Interest Reporting platform allegations of donation activities and pre-election campaign collusion involving Governor Kim and team leader B at the county office.
A claimed, "Another official, C, allegedly gifted a luxury bag, presumed to have been purchased at a duty-free shop during a trip to Osaka, Japan, in May, to Governor Kim’s wife."
Additionally, A alleged, "On May 12, Governor Kim, Director D, and five officials played golf at Gunsan Country Club and received whiskey and meal expenses from a local construction company representative at a restaurant near the Geumgang Estuary in Seocheon," but it was revealed to be false after the company submitted a canceled card receipt to the county audit department.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
