Chungnam Province Appointed Sex Offender as Head of Public Institution... Exposed by Board of Audit and Inspection

Retired Public Official Hired Without Verification After Indictment Suspension for Indecent Assault

It has been revealed that Chungnam Province appointed Mr. A, who concealed his history of sexual misconduct, as the head of a public institution.

Mr. A, who served as a public official in Chungnam Province and retired in June last year, was booked in November 2016 on charges of sexual assault (forcible molestation). However, as it was his first offense and the victim did not wish for punishment, the prosecution granted him a suspension of indictment on December 6 of the same year. The province issued a disciplinary warning without further action.

However, it was found that Mr. A stated in his self-verification report that he had no record of sexual misconduct when applying for the position of head of a provincial public institution.

The province hired Mr. A as the head of a public institution without verifying his personnel records from his previous workplace or the accuracy of his self-verification report.

The Board of Audit and Inspection uncovered these facts during a comprehensive audit of Chungnam Province conducted from March 25 to April 19.

According to Chungnam Province's public institution personnel and organizational operation standards and recruitment announcements, the self-verification report requires candidates for head positions to answer 27 questions in 10 categories, including sexual offenses, in order to verify their morality, law-abidingness, and public values.

It also notifies applicants that providing false information may result in exclusion from appointment and other disadvantages, for which they will be held responsible.

The Board of Audit and Inspection stated, "Mr. A wrote 'No' because he believed that a person who received a suspension of indictment is not a criminal and that there was no need to check unnecessary items in order to pass the screening." They added, "Five out of seven members of the Head Recommendation Committee testified that they would have considered him unqualified if they had known about the sexual misconduct."

The Board of Audit and Inspection notified Chungnam Province to "prepare appropriate measures such as canceling Mr. A's appointment."