To Be Delivered to the Joint Government Audit Team
"Citizen and Public Official Participation" Encouraged
Daegu Chamyeo Yeondae has established a "Citizen Reporting Channel for Irregularities and Corruption Related to Former Daegu Mayor Hong Joonpyo" in line with the schedule of the joint government audit, which begins on August 25. The organization will accept reports from citizens and public officials until August 21.
The purpose of this reporting initiative is to collect facts and evidence from citizens regarding suspected irregularities and illegalities, preferential treatment and conflicts of interest, budget waste, and abuse of authority during Hong's tenure, in order to correct the city's administration. Daegu Chamyeo Yeondae plans to verify the facts and conduct a legal review of the submitted reports, then officially request a meeting with the joint government audit team to deliver the findings directly.
During Hong’s time in office, the plan to establish the Second Daegu Medical Center was scrapped without prior discussion, and there were ongoing controversies over changes to agreed matters and delays in the relocation of the Daegu City Hall.
The consolidation and abolition of public institutions were criticized for being pushed through hastily without sufficient public debate or impact assessments. The discussions on the administrative integration of Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province also faced criticism for lacking procedures to gather citizen opinions and achieve social consensus.
There were also concerns about the reduction of citizen participation systems in city administration and the withholding of information, which infringed on the public’s right to know. Repeated lawsuits and complaints against critical media and civic groups, controversies over restrictions on freedom of assembly and expression, and the exclusion of certain media outlets from coverage led to persistent concerns about infringements on press freedom. Issues related to personnel, such as preferential hiring of close associates and so-called "albakgi" (entrenchment of loyalists), were also consistently raised.
In addition, Hong was criticized for prioritizing his entry into national politics even while in office, effectively privatizing city administration as if it were an election campaign. Previous incidents involving illegal opinion polls, violations of the Political Funds Act and the Public Official Election Act, as well as investigations into his close associates, have heightened concerns within the local community.
Legal disputes are ongoing regarding the ownership, management authority, and procedural legality of the installation of the Park Chunghee statue in the plaza at Dongdaegu Station. A thorough audit is needed on the decision-making process for the statue project, consultations with stakeholders, and the legality and appropriateness of budget execution. These issues are a mix of areas where final court rulings have been made and areas still under investigation or subject to public controversy. Clarifying the facts and identifying responsibility are the starting points for normalizing city administration.
Reports will be handled based on objective evidence; however, even reports lacking sufficient evidence will be actively reviewed if deemed credible. The processing of reports will go through four stages: initial fact-checking, additional investigation and cross-verification, legal review, and submission to the joint government audit team.
Protection of whistleblowers is the top priority, with identities and personal information managed confidentially. If retaliatory acts are discovered, separate legal support will be arranged. Submission of specific materials-such as internal documents, contracts, bidding and outsourcing records, personnel data, meeting minutes, directives, messenger logs, and accounting evidence-is encouraged.
Of course, the provision of highly plausible information is also welcome. Reports from citizens will be used to supplement issues already decided by national agencies such as the police, prosecution, courts, and the Board of Audit and Inspection, as well as cases where the outcome is in question, and these will be submitted to the joint government audit. The audit process will be monitored. The organization looks forward to courageous reports from citizens and public officials who hope for the normalization and reform of Daegu city administration.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
