"Only 4 Out of 10 Researchers Assigned"... Jeonnam Archives Service Contract Faces Fundamental Failures

Jeon Gyeongseon Criticizes Poor Management of 64.5 Billion KRW Project
Jeonnam Provincial Assembly to Request Board of Audit and Inspection Review and Announce Administrative Audit

Jeon Gyeongseon, a member of the Jeonnam Provincial Assembly (Democratic Party of Korea, Mokpo 5), strongly criticized the Jeonnam Provincial Government regarding the construction of the Jeonnam Archives, pointing out in detail the poor execution of the service contract and the omission of reports to the assembly.

During the 392nd temporary session of the Jeonnam Provincial Assembly's Planning and Administration Committee held on July 14, Jeon pressed the executive branch, stating, "Despite being a large-scale project with 64.5 billion KRW in provincial funds invested, there have been fundamental failures from the selection of the service contractor to project management."

Jeon Gyeongseon, Jeonnam Provincial Assembly Member.

The core issue lies with the personnel assigned to the service contract. According to Jeon, the contractor responsible for establishing the basic plan for the Jeonnam Archives assigned only 4 out of the 10 researchers initially promised. The executive branch only became aware of this fact in November of last year, just before the contract expired, but instead of terminating the contract, they opted to reduce the service fee and extend the contract period.

Jeon stated, "This clearly constitutes a potential violation of the Local Contract Act, and it shows a failure to properly fulfill supervisory responsibilities. The resignation of the staff member in charge during the contract is also questionable. There are even suspicions of collusion between the executive branch and the contractor."

The lack of transparency in the candidate site selection process was also a major issue. He criticized, "The Jangheung Provincial University campus is a facility funded by the national government, which required additional consultations, but the service was carried out without verifying this. In the end, at the strategic meeting in December last year, the candidate site was changed to an arbitrary location within the campus, contrary to the results of the service contract."

He further raised suspicions, saying, "It is difficult to understand how Jangheung, which was ranked fourth in the advisory committee's evaluation, became the final candidate site. There were also contractors with stronger research capabilities at the time of bidding, yet the current contractor was selected, which is also questionable."

Jeon also pointed out that the fact the contractor was penalized for delayed delivery was not even reported to the assembly. He said, "Only a brief report on the progress was given, while key issues were deliberately concealed, showing a consistent attitude of disregarding the assembly."

He emphasized, "Such poor practices must not be repeated in important public projects funded by residents' taxes. As the Jeonnam Archives is a core infrastructure responsible for the region's history, it must be promoted transparently under thorough supervision to restore residents' trust."

Meanwhile, the Jeonnam Provincial Assembly is considering requesting an audit by the Board of Audit and Inspection, as well as launching an administrative audit regarding this matter.