Request for Police Investigation into Korea Publishing Culture Association by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2023
Allegations of Omitted State Subsidy Proceeds
Police: "Insufficient Evidence, No Charges Filed"
Association: "Expected Outcome, Apologies to the Public"
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism requested a police investigation in 2023 regarding allegations that the Korea Publishing Culture Association embezzled government subsidies while hosting the Seoul International Book Fair. The police have concluded that there is no evidence of wrongdoing.
According to the association on July 15, the Jongno Police Station in Seoul delivered a notification of investigation results on July 7, stating that it would not refer Chairman Yoon Chulho of the association and others for prosecution due to lack of evidence regarding violations of the Subsidy Management Act.
The police stated, "It is difficult to conclude that the suspects (including Chairman Yoon) intentionally made false reports regarding the omission of part of the proceeds during the process of receiving and settling subsidies in consultation with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. There is insufficient evidence to establish the charges."
Previously, in August 2023, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism requested a police investigation of Chairman Yoon and Joo Ilwoo, head of the Seoul International Book Fair, on suspicion of embezzlement. The ministry alleged that part of the state subsidy paid through the ministry for hosting the Seoul International Book Fair had been embezzled. The ministry claimed that the amount of proceeds omitted from reports between 2018 and 2022 totaled 474.78 million won.
Regarding this, the police stated in the investigation results notification, "It has been confirmed that there is a disagreement between the parties regarding the scope of the proceeds. The complainant (the ministry) merely asserts that the suspects had criminal intent, but there is no specific or meaningful content in the investigation request, supplementary statements, or opinions that would raise suspicion of such intent."
In response to the investigation results, the association said, "This is a natural and just outcome," but also added, "We apologize to the publishing community and the public for the concerns caused by the confusion surrounding the Seoul International Book Fair."
The association also listed cases where it has disagreed with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, such as the fixed book price system and issues of book censorship in libraries. The association stated, "While we share the government's policies and objectives in many areas and work together to build a culturally strong nation, we cannot support every opinion of the ministry. Existing as a government-affiliated organization is not the purpose of our association."
The association further expressed, "We hope that the Lee Jaemyung administration will invigorate publishing culture policies. We look forward to working together with the government toward a brighter future for Korea as a cultural powerhouse."
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