Controversy Over Naju City Public Officials Running for Mayor After Leave of Absence

Period More Than Twice the Regulation... Sparks Fly in City Administration

City Official Explains, "Likely a Mistake in Entering Personnel Appointment Card"

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yukbong] A public employee affiliated with Naju City Hall in Jeollanam-do is embroiled in controversy for taking a leave of absence and campaigning for a mayoral candidate.

Moreover, the administration of Naju City has come under scrutiny for approving a leave period that does not comply with regulations.

According to Naju City on the 12th, public employee A from the city's Construction Department was granted leave from December 3 of last year until June 2, the day after the June 1 local elections.

A is reported to have submitted a leave application with a family medical certificate for caregiving purposes.

The city approved the leave under Article 22-2 of the Act on Gender Equality in Employment and Work-Family Balance Support.

This law stipulates that employers must allow employees to take leave to care for family members such as grandparents, parents, spouses, spouses’ parents, children, and grandchildren due to illness, accident, or old age.

The issue is that A is campaigning at an independent candidate’s mayoral election camp in Naju.

Unlike regular public officials, public employees are not classified as “persons prohibited from election campaigning” under Article 60 of the Public Official Election Act.

Therefore, while this is not a violation of election law, officials explain that taking leave for family care and simultaneously campaigning constitutes an abuse of the leave system.

In fact, the National Public Officials Labor Union Naju Branch issued a statement on the same day demanding that Naju City thoroughly investigate the public employee on leave suspected of joining the election camp and campaigning, and take strict measures.

Additionally, controversy arose over A’s leave period, and the city’s lax administration has not escaped criticism.

The Act on Gender Equality in Employment and Work-Family Balance Support specifies that family care leave is limited to a maximum of 90 days per year, but A was granted 182 days of leave.

The city approved a leave period more than twice the regulated limit.

Regarding this, a Naju City General Affairs Department official explained, “The leave period was approved according to the regulations of the National Democratic Labor Union,” adding, “The personnel appointment card should have stated ‘caregiving’ as the purpose, but it seems it was mistakenly recorded as ‘family care leave.’”

However, since the personnel appointment clearly states ‘Act on Gender Equality in Employment and Work-Family Balance Support’ and ‘family care leave,’ the consensus is that it is difficult to see this as a simple mistake.

One public official remarked, “There are rumors that A was active in an election camp before being hired as a public employee,” and criticized, “It is hard to understand that A is campaigning in an election camp while on leave, not for candidacy, but as a quasi-public official.”

Naju = Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yukbong bong2910@asiae.co.kr

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