Nonsan City Subsidy Project Found to Be Illegally Executed Without Public Application or Review

City Explains, "Other Subsidy Projects Complied with Regulations"
Former Team Leader's Statement Suspected to Be False Explanation

Nonsan City Hall Exterior View

The administrative credibility of Nonsan City in South Chungcheong Province is being fundamentally shaken after it was revealed that a horticultural and specialty crop project tailored to the region was carried out without following the legally mandated public application and review procedures.

According to Nonsan City Council on September 22, the city acknowledged this procedural violation in a written response to Assemblyman Seowon’s administrative inquiry during the 266th temporary session held on September 10.

The city explained, "According to the Local Subsidy Management Act, all local subsidy projects must go through a public application process and be approved by the Local Subsidy Management Committee," adding, "Other subsidy projects, except for this one, have complied with the regulations." This statement is effectively an admission of the illegality of the project in question.

In particular, former head of the horticultural and specialty crop team, identified as Mr. A, who led the project, claimed in an interview with Joongdo Ilbo on August 1, "The audit office confirmed there was no issue." However, the audit office stated, "There was no record of a prior audit request being received, and under the advance consulting audit regulations of South Chungcheong Province, this project was not subject to such an audit, so we only provided basic guidance."

As a result, suspicions have been raised that Mr. A may have intentionally provided false information to the media in order to mislead the police investigation, acting like a 'legal eel.'

The Nonsan Police are currently investigating Mr. A and other related individuals in connection with this project.