[2024 National Audit] Hangang Bus, Controversy Over Filipino Aunt and Myeong Taegyun... Seoul City National Audit Begins

Presidential Candidate Mayor Oh Se-hoon Focuses on Key Projects Verification
Controversy Over Business Selection: Hangang Bus, TBS Facing Closure Crisis
'Taegukgi' Controversy Over Foreign Workers' Treatment
Backlash from Myeong Tae-gyun Incident... Oh "Will Make Them Pay the Price"

On the 15th, Oh Se-hoon, the Mayor of Seoul who has passed the 2nd anniversary of his 8th term inauguration, will undergo a national audit of Seoul City. The focus of the inquiry is expected to be on controversies surrounding the 'Hangang Bus' in operation, the crisis of TBS's closure, and the shortcomings in the Filipino domestic worker system. Additionally, suspicions related to Myung Tae-gyun, a key figure in the recent allegations of First Lady Kim Geon-hee's interference in candidate selection, are also expected to become a major issue. Attention is on what stance Mayor Oh, considered a leading candidate for the ruling party's next presidential election, will take on these controversies.

The National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee will conduct a national audit of Seoul City at Seoul City Hall starting at 10 a.m. that day. The committee plans to review the overall policies of Seoul City under the 8th term, and by mutual agreement between the ruling and opposition parties, the audit by the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee was excluded.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The audit will serve as an opportunity to examine Mayor Oh's key projects. The Hangang Bus and the Yeouido pier construction, part of the 'Great Hangang' project?a core policy and major redevelopment along the Hangang River?have been controversial since their announcement. Criticisms regarding project performance and safety have persisted, and recently, issues have arisen concerning the qualifications of the Hangang Bus vessel manufacturer and allegations of preferential treatment during the pier construction process.

Previously, the Seoul Metropolitan Council raised suspicions about the unqualified status of the Hangang Bus vessel manufacturer. Seoul City responded by publicly disclosing the company's track record, stating that incorrect information about the project was spreading. They also provided explanations regarding the preferential treatment allegations during the pier construction. The selection process involved a single bidder who was immediately chosen, and Seoul City cited the local contract law's temporary special provision allowing sole-source contracts in cases of single bids. The Public Administration and Security Committee has summoned witnesses including the CEO of eCruise, the operator of the Hangang Bus, the Hangang Bus representative, and the CEO of Gaduk Heavy Industries, which signed the shipbuilding contract.

The crisis of TBS facing potential closure is another key issue. Witnesses summoned include Park No-hwang, Chairman of TBS, and Lee Kang-taek, former CEO of TBS. Some point out serious procedural problems with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's decision in September to revoke TBS's designation as a Seoul City-funded institution. According to Article 5 of the 'Act on Local Government-Funded and Contributed Institutions' (Local Funded Institutions Act), the Minister of the Interior and Safety must consult with the competent authority and the head of the local government when designating, revoking, or changing the designation of such institutions. The competent authority for TBS is the Korea Communications Commission, and the local government head is Mayor Oh. The criticism is that the Korea Communications Commission and Mayor Oh did not properly review the process. After the Ministry of the Interior and Safety revoked TBS's status as a Seoul City-funded institution, TBS applied to amend its articles of incorporation to operate as a non-profit corporation, but the Korea Communications Commission rejected the amendment application.

The effectiveness of the 'Foreign Domestic Worker' project, first introduced by Mayor Oh to expand the employment of foreign workers, will also be scrutinized. Mayor Oh launched a pilot project to introduce Filipino domestic workers, who have relatively lower wage burdens, to address low birth rates, but controversies have continued from the start.

Some workers reportedly left the project site due to poor working conditions. Most notably, the domestic workers' training allowances were not paid on time, and wages for work done this month were paid the following month, resulting in low net income and presumed financial hardship. According to Seoul City, the allowance paid for training from the 6th of last month to the 2nd of this month was 2,011,440 KRW, of which 539,700 KRW was deducted for lodging and taxes, leaving a net amount of 1,471,740 KRW. The workers received this amount in three installments on the 30th of last month, and the 6th and 20th of this month.

The time spent moving between households by domestic workers responsible for multiple families was also cited as a hardship. Some workers care for 3 to 4 households, and the travel time between homes was burdensome, leading to calls for assignments considering the locations of households. However, Seoul City has increased the likelihood of resolving these issues by changing the wage payment system from a monthly salary to a choice between monthly or weekly pay and eliminating the personnel verification process that sparked curfew-related controversies.

The process of creating the 'National Symbol Space,' which began with the plan to erect a 100-meter-high Taegeukgi flagpole in Gwanghwamun Square, is also expected to be examined. The opposition party has criticized Mayor Oh for using Gwanghwamun Square as a political tool. Seoul City has faced various objections and has reset the direction by gathering citizen opinions. However, opposition to symbolic sculptures and other elements remains.

Myung, who has emerged as a key figure in the allegations of First Lady Kim's interference in candidate selection, claimed to have played a crucial role in the Seoul mayoral election, and opposition lawmakers are expected to launch prolonged attacks. On the 13th, Myung said, "I met Kim Jong-in, the chairman, on March 5, the day after the People Power Party's internal primary," adding, "Chairman Kim gave me the mission that the People Power Party candidate must become the Mayor of Seoul and that I must defeat Ahn Cheol-soo (then leader of the People Party). I planned accordingly." He even claimed that Mayor Oh pleaded tearfully in front of him.

Mayor Oh immediately refuted the claims. He warned Myung, saying, "He will ultimately be thoroughly investigated through a prosecution investigation and will pay the price." Mayor Oh stated, "During the 2021 Seoul mayoral by-election, former lawmaker Kim Young-sun strongly urged me to meet him, but I judged him to be a strange and dangerous person and cut ties," adding, "The claims about crying are ridiculous. The idea that I would plead in front of a mere political hustler I had never met is nonsense."

He further criticized, "I don't know to whom or what Myung said, but it is self-contradictory that the person he advised on unification strategies was the one who most opposed unification," and added, "Mixing facts and lies to stir up trouble and set fires is a ploy to cover his own faults and divert attention elsewhere."