"“Please check ○○ Newspaper” Wanju County Council Member's Audit Remarks Spark Controversy"

Assemblywoman Lee Insuk Orders Subscriptions to Local Newspapers in Specific Areas; Reporter from Newspaper Attends Audit Session

Assemblywoman Lee Explains "No Intent," Yet Criticism Arises Over 'Pressure on Audited Institutions'

[Wanju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Han-ho] Lee In-sook, a council member of Wanju County, Jeonbuk (Independent, Multi-district), sparked controversy by requesting the subscription of a specific local newspaper during an administrative audit.

Moreover, it has been confirmed that an editor and reporter from the said newspaper were present as observers at the scene, causing the controversy to escalate rapidly.

During the 2nd regular session of the 264th Wanju County Council held on the 17th, at the administrative audit of the Social Economy Division, Councilor Lee said, "We are subscribing to Newspaper A, but not Newspaper B," and added, "We need to use local newspapers. I hope you make sure not to miss subscribing to Newspaper B."

As this fact became known, criticism arose both inside the Wanju County Office and within the local community, calling the remark inappropriate.

Newspaper subscriptions by administrative agencies are autonomously decided considering the budget situation and business promotion of the relevant departments, and a council member requesting the subscription of a specific newspaper during an administrative audit can cause misunderstandings.

Above all, such remarks during the audit period are tantamount to putting 'pressure' on Wanju County, the audited institution, to subscribe to a specific newspaper.

Furthermore, the fact that a reporter from the said newspaper was observing the audit session has led to doubts about the sincerity of Councilor Lee's remarks.

Councilor Lee explained, "I did not make the request with any particular intention," and added, "If there is any misunderstanding, I will correct it."

Additionally, Lee claimed, "During my inquiry, the reporter was not present in the audit room due to an event in Bibong-myeon." However, it was confirmed that the reporter from the said newspaper was continuously present in the audit room during Lee's remarks.

Meanwhile, there are also rumors surrounding Newspaper B, which Councilor Lee mentioned.

Registered in May 2019, this newspaper was primarily founded by Mr. C, a former local daily newspaper journalist, who currently serves as its editor and reporter.

Mr. C was active in the campaign of the Democratic Peace Party's county governor candidate who competed against the current Wanju County Governor Park Seong-il during the 2018 local elections.

Wanju=Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Han-ho stonepeak@asiae.co.kr

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