"Is This Why We Sent You on a Trip?" Officials Spend 15 Million Won to Dance, Sightsee, and Come Back

"Itinerary Is Basically a Tour Package," Critics Say
Marathon Participation, Jazz Club, Museum Sightseeing
Married Civil Servant Couple Also Joined the Trip

Public officials from Miryang City, Gyeongsangnam-do, attending the Paris Marathon in France. KBS YouTube capture.

As more and more local councils come under fire for overseas trips of a sightseeing nature funded by residents' tax money, public officials from Miryang City in Gyeongsangnam-do are facing controversy for taking a trip to Europe that had nothing to do with their own work.

According to a KBS report on February 3, three Miryang City public officials went on a six-night, eight-day overseas trip to Paris, France last year, ostensibly to study ways to promote marathon events. They are reported to belong to different departments, including civil complaints, construction, and community service centers.

A look at their itinerary shows that they participated in the marathon for only two days, while the rest of the trip was filled with activities such as dancing at a jazz club and visiting tourist attractions like museums.

In a video filmed by a YouTuber, a Miryang City public official can be seen taking part in a marathon in downtown Paris. The official told KBS, "After running the marathon in Paris, we went to see the places that many people would likely visit."

Another two Miryang City public officials traveled to France, Spain, and Portugal for eight nights and ten days last year, stating that the purpose was to explore child-friendly policies. Again, most of their schedule consisted of running and sightseeing. It was revealed that they work in the water and sewage department and at a township office, respectively, and that they are in fact a married couple.

One Miryang City official said, "If (my spouse and I) go together, there is a bit more synergy, and since we are actually raising children right now, we thought there might be things we could see from that perspective as well."

However, they are reported to have failed to comply with the public service duty guidelines that were put in place to prevent wasteful spending of public funds and to ensure that business trips serve their intended purpose. Ha Seungsoo, co-representative of the civic group "Catch Tax Thieves," said, "They should be able to learn in-depth details about the policies of the countries they visit, but if no meetings are even arranged with experts or public officials, then in effect it is a sightseeing trip."

The travel expenses incurred by these five public officials amounted to 15 million won, and it is reported that no issues were raised either during Miryang City's prior review or in the city council's settlement audit.