Gongju City Faces Flood Crisis as Village Leaders Spark Controversy with 'Philippines Tour-Style Overseas Training'

Flood Damage Worsens as Village Heads Fail to Open Floodgates
Residents Outraged... Suspicions of Preferential Treatment in Travel Agency Selection

It has come to light that village leaders (Lee-tongjang) of Gongju City, South Chungcheong Province, went on an overseas training trip to the Philippines during a period when record-breaking heavy rainfall was causing widespread damage, sparking controversy.

The controversy has further intensified as it was revealed that, while some village heads were absent, floodgates in certain villages were not opened in time, resulting in increased flood damage.

According to an investigation by Asia Economy on July 24, a total of 33 people?including 31 exemplary village leaders and 2 public officials from Gongju City?went on a five-day, three-night overseas training trip to Clark, Philippines, from July 18 to July 22. The total cost was approximately 43 million won, with the city providing an average subsidy of 910,000 won per person.

The issue is that, around July 18 when they departed, Gongju City was hit by torrential rain of nearly 100mm per hour, causing repeated flooding of farmland and homes.

In particular, in some areas, flood damage was exacerbated because the floodgates were not opened in time, and it was confirmed that the village head responsible for managing the floodgates was absent at the time.

The council stated, "Before leaving, the village head delegated floodgate management to the village secretary," but criticism has emerged that the secretary was not familiar with the relevant manual, resulting in delayed response. This also delayed recovery efforts, further inconveniencing residents.

An official from Gongju City explained, "We were aware in advance of the possibility of heavy rainfall and considered changing the schedule, but we had no choice but to proceed with the trip due to airline ticket and accommodation cancellation fees."

One resident expressed anger, saying, "How can it make sense for all the village heads to go abroad as a group when heavy rain is pouring down? They should have considered the damage to residents first, not the cancellation fees."

Overseas Training Schedule for Village Chiefs of Gongju City

There is also controversy over the method used to select the travel agency that organized the overseas training trip.

Normally, Gongju City and the council send requests for proposals to multiple local agencies and select a company through a review process. However, this time, only one specific travel agency submitted a proposal, raising suspicions of preferential treatment.

The head of a local travel agency pointed out, "We did not even receive a request for a proposal. It is a problem that only one company was given the opportunity for a project funded by citizens' taxes."

In response, the council denied the allegations of favoritism, stating, "This trip was not for tourism, but for export exchange of chestnuts with Tarlac Province in the Philippines, and the selected company was chosen because of its extensive relevant experience."

They added, "Last year, we selected a company after receiving proposals from multiple local agencies."

Meanwhile, Nonsan City and Buyeo County have either completely suspended or not conducted overseas training trips for several years, providing a stark contrast.

Since the 8th popularly elected administration, Nonsan City has completely abolished overseas training trips for village leaders, and Buyeo County has also not executed related budgets in recent years due to repeated natural disasters.