Eunju Lee, Seoul City Councilor: "Reports of Irregularities Must Be Based on Trust in Seoul Transportation Corporation"

Rep. Lee, 143 Wage Arrears Complaints Since 2017, Only 3 Audits... "To Become a Transparent Transportation Corporation, a More Proactive Approach Is Needed," Urges

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Lee Eun-joo, a member of the Seoul Metropolitan Council and vice-chair of the Transportation Committee (Democratic Party, Nowon 2), pointed out at the 302nd extraordinary session of the Seoul Metropolitan Council Transportation Committee held on the 6th that the Seoul Transportation Corporation's Corruption Reporting Center does not seem to gain the trust of whistleblowers.

She also urged the corporation to take a proactive approach to audits, criticizing its complacent attitude toward wage arrears.

The Seoul Transportation Corporation operates the Corruption Reporting Center through its online homepage, receiving reports of corruption in a total of 10 categories, including personnel irregularities and subcontracting corruption.

According to Councilor Lee, the problem arises at the identity verification stage that whistleblowers first encounter when reporting. While the National Integrity Portal lists provisions of the Personal Information Protection Act, and the Seoul Facilities Corporation cites grounds such as protection under the Public Interest Whistleblower Protection Act, the Seoul Transportation Corporation only indicates the minimum personal information required.

Councilor Lee said, “The biggest concern for whistleblowers when reporting is the exposure of their identity,” adding, “These concerns must be alleviated to activate reporting.” She also mentioned, “We need to understand the mindset of whistleblowers before they come forward,” and “Trust comes from very small differences.”

However, she added, “Currently, the Transportation Corporation only lists the scope of personal information collection, making it difficult to instill trust in whistleblowers.”

Meanwhile, various corruption allegations have been posted on the communication board within the corporation’s internal internet network. According to officials, this board, operated under a semi-anonymous system, was originally created to maximize work efficiency and cooperation among employees but has recently become problematic due to the number of allegations posted.

Councilor Lee cited a case where issues with a superior were reported on the communication board and the National Integrity Portal, stating, “Despite the existence of the corporation’s Corruption Reporting Center, the fact that reports were made only on the internal communication board and the National Integrity Portal proves the lack of trust in the corporation’s Corruption Reporting Center.”

Additionally, Councilor Lee criticized the corporation’s passive auditing, noting that among 143 reports of wage arrears in subcontracting corruption reports, only three audits were conducted.

Councilor Lee urged, “Integrity is not simply obtained; it is the result of continuous education and management,” adding, “Measures such as conducting surveys among employees should be taken to enhance the credibility of the Transportation Corporation.”

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