Gyeonggi-do Demands Accountability for Officials Neglecting Illegal Activities in Yangju Valley

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province has requested disciplinary action against public officials who failed to take timely measures despite confirming illegal facilities in valleys.

On the 14th, Gyeonggi Province announced that it officially requested Yangju City to hold accountable two public officials, A and B, from Yangju City, who were found negligent in their duties by delaying action after confirming illegal facilities in Jangheung Valley.

In response to the vacation season, the province has formed a special inspection team to crack down on illegal activities such as reinstalling illegal facilities in some riverside valleys' restaurants and lodging businesses or privatizing rivers.

In particular, regarding the illegal matters in Jangheung Valley recently pointed out by media reports, the province conducted a special audit from the 27th to the 30th of last month targeting Yangju City, the relevant local government, to investigate whether illegal acts were neglected and whether there was negligence in duties.

The investigation revealed that the responsible public officials did not take any action despite some restaurants removing signboards that guided visitors to freely use the valley entrance stairs and forcing customers to use their establishments. It was also confirmed that despite multiple detections of illegal acts such as installing portable parasol tables, only passive measures like verbal guidance were consistently taken.

In particular, it was found that illegal facilities installed by restaurants for business purposes, such as platforms and fountains, were confirmed but appropriate measures like removal were not taken in a timely manner. Furthermore, although the 'River Guardians,' who regularly monitor illegal activities in the valley, reported detailed issues through their enforcement logs, the officials failed to conduct on-site inspections or follow-up administrative warnings.

Accordingly, the province requested light disciplinary action against two public officials affiliated with Yangju City for neglecting illegal activities in Jangheung Valley, violating Article 48 (Duty of Diligence) of the Local Public Officials Act.

Meanwhile, since the 4th, the province has been conducting a special audit targeting 25 cities and counties managing valleys and rivers to verify passive administration such as neglect in cracking down on illegal activities and administrative sanctions in clean valleys and rivers.

A provincial official emphasized, "Thanks to the efforts of many people, the clean valleys have returned to the residents, their rightful owners. We will hold strictly accountable any public officials who neglect their duties in cracking down on illegal activities in rivers to ensure that the efforts of residents and related officials who created the clean valleys are not undermined."

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