'Tax Theft Doubles Crime': Shameful Morality Level of Gangneung City Officials

Fraudulent Claims of Travel Expenses and Allowances... Crime Cases Double in Two Years
City Councilor Kim Bok-ja Criticizes, "Serious Illegality Among Gangneung City Officials"

[Asia Economy Reporter Ra Young-cheol] It has been revealed that public officials in Gangneung-si, Gangwon Province, illicitly received travel expenses and overtime work allowances.

Moreover, the number of criminal cases has doubled over two years, raising internal criticism that morality and public service discipline have deteriorated beyond acceptable limits.

According to the "5-minute free speech" delivered by Gangneung City Council member Kim Bok-ja at the first plenary session of the 290th extraordinary meeting held on the 22nd, it was disclosed that Gangneung city officials received approximately 9 million won in travel expenses and overtime allowances through fraudulent means.

Earlier police investigations revealed that public official A and others falsified travel documents and work logs of fixed-term workers to receive allowances, then returned a certain amount in cash.

They reportedly used the money obtained through these methods for department operating expenses such as meals, and upon the incident surfacing, they returned the full amount of the illicitly received funds.

Additionally, according to crime investigation notifications concerning Gangneung city officials, violations of the Road Traffic Act numbered 14 cases in 2019 but doubled to 28 cases last year, leading to an increase in severe disciplinary actions such as salary reductions and suspensions.

Administrative and financial audits also showed an increase in the number of administrative actions and the amount of financial adjustments rose from about 2.6 million won in 2019 to approximately 4.5 million won last year.

Regarding official reprimands, 27 cases such as "negligence in personnel management supervision" were recorded in 2019, and 37 cases including "restricting hiring opportunities through excessive changes in hiring criteria for fixed-term public officials" were disciplined last year.

On this day, Council member Kim pointed out, "The illegality of Gangneung city officials has reached a serious level," and emphasized, "Both the national and local governments must give more thought to establishing public service discipline."

Kim also urged measures to address manpower shortages caused by the increasing leave rates among public officials to prevent any leakage in citizen services.

According to Kim's remarks, the leave rate among Gangneung city officials last year was 8.1% of the total staff, nearly double that of five years ago.

The number of public officials on leave in Gangneung was 59 in 2016, 69 in 2017, 88 in 2018, 104 in 2019, and 115 in 2020.

The leave rate relative to the total staff was 4.6% in 2016, 5.3% in 2017, 6.5% in 2018, 7.6% in 2019, and 8.1% in 2020, showing about a twofold increase over five years.

This year, Gangneung city's budget exceeded the initial 1.2 trillion won. While the budget continues to increase, the high leave rate among public officials is causing a shortage of actual working personnel.

In response, Council member Kim stressed, "A working public service culture must come first, but a balance between work and rest is urgently needed even within the professional public official organization."

Critical and dissatisfied voices also emerged from within the public service.

An anonymous city official said, "Even though we struggle due to lack of manpower, the city has no countermeasures, so there's nothing we can do. We can't openly say it, but everyone is struggling," expressing frustration.

Another executive said, "It is shameful as a fellow public official that some sold their conscience for a few allowances," and added, "There is a need to restore public service discipline and renew the atmosphere," showing self-reflection.

Earlier, Gangneung Mayor Kim Han-geun stated in his New Year's address this year, "Both myself and public officials will run vigorously with new determination and extraordinary resolve to make a significant mark in Gangneung's development history in 2021."

Although Mayor Kim delivered an ambitious New Year's address, concerns are rising over a vicious cycle where excessive misconduct by Gangneung city officials and lack of alternatives for manpower shortages lead to further sick leaves among public officials.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.