Police Conduct Search and Seizure at Gwangju City Hall Over Alleged Misuse of Survival Swimming Class Subsidies

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] The police have launched a forced investigation to verify allegations of subsidy misuse in the Gwangju Survival Swimming Class.

The Anti-Corruption Economic Crime Investigation Unit of the Gwangju Police Agency conducted raids on eight locations on the 26th, including Gwangju City Hall, the City Sports Council, the City Swimming Federation, the Nambu Multipurpose Gymnasium, and the residences of the suspects.

The police are securing related materials at these locations to verify recent allegations of subsidy misuse related to the "2019 Survival Swimming Class."

After media and city council members repeatedly raised suspicions of subsidy misuse in the survival swimming program, the investigation unit conducted a preliminary inquiry. They found a possibility that the survival swimming classes were not actually conducted and subsequently booked three individuals, obtaining search warrants to proceed with a forced investigation.

The three individuals booked are current and former officials involved in the project from the City Sports Council, Nambu Multipurpose Gymnasium, and the City Swimming Federation.

Among those booked, one is a candidate who applied for nomination as a district council member in a local autonomous district and denies the related allegations.

A Gwangju Police Agency official stated, "After reviewing the whistleblower's testimony and related materials, we judged that there is a possibility the survival swimming project was not properly conducted, prompting us to initiate a forced investigation. We plan to clarify the related allegations through evidence analysis and summons investigations."

City Council member Ban Jae-shin recently raised suspicions regarding the controversy over the survival swimming classes.

Council member Ban claimed, "The 2019 survival swimming class settlement report shows a budget of about 50 million won, including 37 million won for personnel expenses and 11 million won for general operating expenses, to run survival swimming classes for 320 citizens. However, some at the swimming pool say they have never seen the survival swimming classes being conducted."

In response, Gwangju City stated that it will monitor the City Sports Council's internal audit and announce follow-up measures accordingly.

A Gwangju City official said, "On March 25, the City Sports Council's Fair Audit Team began an internal audit regarding the appropriateness of subsidy execution by the Gwangju City Swimming Federation. If the investigation confirms the allegations, we plan to prepare strong sanctions, including subsidy repayment and measures to prevent recurrence, in accordance with relevant regulations."

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