Participant Autonomy 21 "Gwangju Mayor Lee Yong-seop Must Offer Moral Apology for Brother's Misconduct"

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] A civic group in Gwangju has demanded a moral apology from Lee Yong-seop, mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, who is seeking re-election in the upcoming June local elections, regarding the misconduct of his younger brother.

On the 15th, Participation and Autonomy 21 stated in a press release, “With the local elections approaching, the citizens of Gwangju hope that the new leader who will lead the city can dispel concerns not only about personal morality but also about the morality of their family.” They added, “Since Mayor Lee Yong-seop has expressed his intention to run for re-election, his attitude toward the issue of his younger brother receiving a one year and six months prison sentence for preferential supply to Hoban Construction has become even more important.”

They continued, “The court ruled that the mayor’s younger brother’s act of offering to arrange conveniences for projects promoted by Gwangju City falls under the charge of bribery under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes. However, considering the protection of the right to defense, the court did not order detention, and since there is still room for dispute and no clear evidence linking the mayor to the case, the brother’s charges do not yet indicate a serious problem with Mayor Lee Yong-seop’s personal morality,” they explained.

Furthermore, they emphasized, “The judgment stating, ‘Mr. Lee received an opportunity to supply fabricated rebar by leveraging the fact that he is the younger brother of Lee Yong-seop, who was likely to win the January 2018 Gwangju mayoral election and is the vice chairman of the Presidential Committee on Jobs,’ suggests that the mayor’s brother attempted to use his brother’s position to secure interests.” They added, “The mayor must thoroughly manage to prevent any relatives from abusing the power entrusted to him by the citizens for personal gain and must fulfill his moral responsibility.”

They also added, “At the very least, the mayor should offer a moral apology to the citizens for the lack of oversight regarding his brother’s misconduct.”

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