[Exclusive] Sancheong County Says "No Data Exists" When Asked About Officials Commuting from Other Regions

Facing Criticism for Lack of Awareness on Information Disclosure
Controversy Over Administrative Responsibility Avoidance, Growing Distrust in the Community

Sancheong County in South Gyeongsang Province is facing growing controversy over its avoidance of administrative responsibility and lack of awareness regarding information disclosure, after responding to this newspaper's request for data on county officials commuting from outside regions by stating, "No such data exists."

To assess the administrative reality of Sancheong County, which is at risk of population extinction, this newspaper requested information on the number of county officials who reside outside Sancheong County and commute to work. This request pertained to simple statistical data, not personal information, and could have been sufficiently anonymized for public release.

Sancheong County Office Marker Stone.

However, Sancheong County dismissed the request by stating, "We do not possess such data." In response, the local community has criticized the county for either being irresponsibly unaware of even basic personnel and attendance records, or for intentionally avoiding disclosure to sidestep controversy.

The residence of public officials is not merely a matter of personal privacy. It is a fundamental prerequisite for disaster and emergency response, night and holiday shifts, and community-based administration. The county's admission that it does not even have such data has been pointed out as an acknowledgment of serious flaws in the entire administrative system.

In particular, Sancheong County has encouraged people to return to farming, move to rural areas, and improve settlement conditions, urging residents to settle in the region. In this context, the county's refusal to disclose even the residential status of its own officials undermines the credibility of its policies and attracts criticism for being self-defeating.

The "Act on Disclosure of Information by Public Agencies" stipulates the guarantee of the public's right to know and the enhancement of administrative transparency. Despite the fact that this request concerned statistical rather than personal data, the county's "non-existence" response is being criticized as a typical example of passive administration that runs counter to the intent of the law.

Local residents are strongly protesting, saying, "They tell residents to live in the area while hiding the addresses of public officials," and "Only when public officials put down roots in the region will population policies gain traction."

Some have raised suspicions that Sancheong County's claim that such data does not exist, even though it could be compiled from resident registration and personnel records, is in effect an evasion of administrative responsibility. This is being criticized as a case where administrative convenience is being prioritized over the public's right to know.

This newspaper pointed out that this issue goes beyond a simple information disclosure matter, fundamentally questioning the regional responsibility of public officials and the credibility of local administration amid the crisis of population extinction.

There is a growing call for Sancheong County to stop stalling with a perfunctory "non-existence" response and instead accurately determine the current situation and transparently disclose it to the public.