Allegations of Preferential Treatment...
Investigation of Fisheries Cooperative and Company Officials
The Korea Coast Guard has launched a full-scale investigation following allegations of preferential treatment in the selection process of a seaweed farm management company by the Geomundo Fisheries Cooperative in Samsan-myeon, Yeosu.
According to the Coast Guard, a complaint was recently filed claiming that favorable conditions were applied to a specific company during the selection process for the seaweed farm management company by the Geomundo Fisheries Cooperative. The Coast Guard is currently securing related materials and is investigating the facts by questioning officials from the cooperative and related companies.
The Geomundo Fisheries Cooperative publicly solicited management companies for a total of 293 hectares of seaweed farms from December 27 to 30 last year, and selected Cooperative A as the preferred negotiation partner in January this year. However, some fishermen are protesting, claiming that the evaluation process was unfair and that conditions favorable to a particular company were applied.
One fisherman stated, "There are suspicions that certain criteria advantageous to some companies were applied during the selection process," and insisted, "A transparent investigation is necessary." He also pointed out that the bid announcement was made on December 27 last year, and just three days later, Cooperative A was selected as the management company, calling this a circumvention of proper procedures.
A Coast Guard official said, "We are currently in the process of securing relevant materials, and we plan to summon officials from the cooperative and related companies for questioning soon," adding, "We will thoroughly review the facts and respond strictly if any illegal activities are confirmed."
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