Union Urges Review Over "Sexual Misconduct Allegations and Personnel Disaster"
Sokcho City Takes Drastic Action, Replaces 10 Key Personnel in HR Department
Promotion Cancellation Depends on Outcome of Investigation
The public sector in Sokcho City, Gangwon Province, is facing a major backlash following the recent promotion of a fifth-grade official, as allegations of sexual misconduct and questions over fairness have become intertwined.
The Sokcho City Branch of the National Public Officials Labor Union (hereinafter referred to as the union) has defined the recent personnel decision as a "collapse of the personnel system" and is demanding a full review, making a direct confrontation between the city and the union inevitable.
The trigger for the current situation was the announcement of the promotion decision for officials on December 18. Immediately after the promotion candidates were made public, a post appeared on the union's website in which a victim alleged that they had been sexually assaulted by Team Leader A, one of the promotion candidates, around 2012. The revelation caused a stir.
The victim expressed outrage in the post, stating, "I cannot accept a world where a sex offender becomes an official and leads the organization." The post quickly garnered hundreds of views, provoking anger within the public sector. Considering the seriousness of the matter, Sokcho City suspended Team Leader A from duty on December 22 and requested a police investigation.
As the controversy grew, Lee Byeongseon, Mayor of Sokcho, announced on December 22 that a total of 10 officials-including two at the director level, four at the department head level, and four at the team leader level-were affected, and that all key personnel in the administrative department, including the Administrative Director, the Director of the Autonomous Administration Department, and the Head of the Personnel Team, had been replaced. This personnel reshuffle was originally scheduled for January next year, but the city moved up the timeline and implemented the changes immediately.
Sokcho City explained that this was a "decision to restore organizational discipline and initiate personnel renewal," but the union's response has been cold. Critics point out that simply replacing key personnel does not address the fundamental responsibility for failing to screen out unqualified candidates included in the promotion results.
The Sokcho City Branch of the National Public Officials Labor Union argued that this situation was a "foreseeable personnel disaster." The union stated, "We conveyed employees' concerns to the Personnel Committee, but the decision was enforced without reflecting any of our opinions," adding, "This undermines the personnel regulations and renders the fair personnel system ineffective."
The union also pointed out, "Although multi-faceted evaluations are the minimum verification procedure under personnel regulations, they were not even conducted for this promotion," and criticized, "Unclear and inconsistent standards are instead amplifying conflict and distrust within the organization."
The Sokcho City Branch of the National Public Officials Labor Union has defined this incident as a "crisis of fairness and trust" and is demanding: a review of the problematic personnel decisions; immediate implementation of the multi-faceted evaluation system; establishment of consistent and transparent promotion criteria; and the adoption of fair personnel management principles for the benefit of citizens and the organization. Sokcho City plans to review and discuss these issues after receiving the union's position.
A citizen of Sokcho commented, "I am deeply disappointed that such an unfortunate incident has occurred in a civil servant organization where integrity and morality should be the top priorities," adding, "A thorough investigation is needed, along with a comprehensive reform of the entire personnel system."
Meanwhile, the investigation into the "alleged sexual misconduct" has been handed over to the police. Although the decision to cancel the promotion will depend on the outcome of the investigation, some point out that it will be difficult to restore public trust in the administration, which has already been damaged.
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