Prime Minister's Office Launches Investigation into Korea Sports Council Misconduct Tips... Focus on Personnel and Accounting Areas

Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Files Public Audit Request with Board of Audit and Inspection
Regarding Preferential Work Allocation and Budget Usage

The Prime Minister's Office has received a tip-off regarding misconduct related to the Korea Sports Council and has launched an investigation.

President Lee Ki-heung of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee delivering the opening speech. [Photo by Yonhap News]

According to a government official on the 9th, the Office of Public Service Management under the Prime Minister's Office Coordination Office dispatched five investigators to the Korea Sports Council office located in the Olympic Hall in Bangi-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, to conduct an on-site investigation. The Office of Public Service Management is an organization that oversees discipline and conduct in government agencies, public institutions, and affiliated organizations, and depending on the investigation results, it can refer the case to investigative authorities.

The investigators are expected to review the overall administrative affairs of the Sports Council in a separately prepared office until the 18th. The investigation period may be adjusted depending on the situation, and this was communicated to the Sports Council. According to a Sports Council official, the investigation is likely to focus on personnel and accounting sectors.

The government has been examining various issues of misconduct and corruption in the sports sector. Earlier, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism filed a public interest audit request with the Board of Audit and Inspection, citing concerns over preferential treatment in contract awards and reckless budget spending by the Korea Sports Council. In May, the Ministry also requested a prosecution investigation, suspecting collusion between senior officials of the Korea Sports Council and contractors related to the management service contract for the national athlete training center facilities in Jincheon, Chungbuk.

In response to the government's comprehensive pressure, the Sports Council has countered by stating it will submit a "public interest audit request regarding the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's illegal and unfair sports business practices" to the Board of Audit and Inspection following the necessary procedures. During the 105th National Sports Festival, held from the 11th to the 17th in Gimhae, Gyeongnam, Korea Sports Council President Lee Ki-heung plans to express his views to the media regarding the government's intensive audits and investigations.