Urgent Need to Restore Administrative Trust in the 8th Popularly Elected Administration's 'Y Project'
"41.6 Billion KRW Invested... Ensuring Transparency in Administrative Procedures Is the Council's Responsibility"
Heeyul Park, Gwangju City Council member.
Heeyul Park, a member of the Gwangju City Council (Democratic Party, Nam District 3), officially raised the need for an administrative investigation by the city council regarding allegations of preferential treatment in the international design competition for the "Yeongsangang Exciting Zone Development Project," which has recently become a subject of controversy, during the 2024 settlement review of the Gwangju City New Vitality Promotion Headquarters held on June 10.
Park emphasized, "Even though the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency conducted an unprecedented raid on the Exciting Team of the New Vitality Promotion Headquarters, the executive branch is downplaying the issue as a mere administrative error," adding, "It is essential to clearly determine the legitimacy of this large-scale pledge project, worth 41.6 billion KRW, and the legality of its procedures."
The core of the current police investigation lies in suspicions that the technical review report was revised in favor of the winning design during the process in which a design proposal that violated the competition guidelines was selected as the winner.
In particular, circumstances have been raised regarding: ▲ exceeding the total floor area standard for the building, ▲ violating the river district parking plan, and ▲ arbitrarily modifying the basic data for evaluation. Although the court dismissed the "application for injunction to suspend the competition" filed by a disqualified company, the police conducted an unusual raid, citing possible criminal charges.
Park stated, "While those involved in revising the report testified that it was difficult to verify due to the lack of a CAD program, the mayor explained it as a simple labeling issue," arguing, "Given the conflicting statements between working-level officials and those responsible, a thorough review of the entire administrative process is necessary."
He strongly criticized, "The Yeongsangang Exciting Zone Development Project is a core and representative initiative of the 8th popularly elected administration's 'Y Project.' This issue is not just a simple administrative mistake but raises the possibility of a failure in the administrative control system."
He continued, "As long as there are suspicions of preferential treatment, illegality, and closed-door administration, the investigation should not be limited to a single project. There is a need for a comprehensive review of the entire Y Project and structural improvements to prevent recurrence," adding, "If the council remains silent, it neglects its oversight function, so it must fulfill its duty to restore public trust."
Park further stated, "Some media outlets and civic groups are also demanding an investigation into the overall implementation of the 'Y Project.' To fundamentally prevent similar procedural distortions in other projects, I will officially discuss the promotion of an 'administrative investigation' at the city council level with fellow council members."
Meanwhile, on June 5, the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crime Investigation Division of the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency conducted a sudden raid on the office of the Exciting Team at the Gwangju City New Vitality Promotion Headquarters. The police reportedly seized work PC hard drives and materials related to the design competition, following suspicions that preferential treatment was given to a specific company during the design competition process for the "Yeongsangang Exciting Zone Development Project."
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