5·18 Construction Group to File Complaint Against Gwangju Mayor Kang Ki-jung with Prosecutors

The public interest organizations, the 5·18 Democratic Movement Injured Persons Association and the Meritorious Persons Association, are filing a complaint with the prosecution against Gwangju Mayor Kang Gi-jung and five public officials belonging to the Gwangju City Hall.

On the 14th, the 5·18 Injured Persons Association and the Meritorious Persons Association announced that on the morning of the 15th, they plan to file a complaint with the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office against the Gwangju Mayor and five Gwangju City Hall officials for violating the "Act on the Treatment of 5·18 Democratic Movement Merit Persons and the Establishment of Related Organizations."

The complaint includes allegations that Gwangju City improperly interfered with the fairness of the bidding process by intervening in the "5·18 Democratic Movement Education Center Consignment Operator Recruitment." It is also reported that they will submit a recording of a phone conversation between Gwangju City officials and a third-party organization, in which it was conveyed that "the public interest organization will be eliminated from the re-bidding for the education center, so prepare the documents to be submitted for the recruitment."

Since January, Gwangju City has been selecting a private organization to be entrusted with the operation of the education center, prioritizing the Injured Persons Association as the preferred negotiation partner and proceeding with the recruitment review.

Subsequently, the Injured Persons Association and the Meritorious Persons Association held an "Apology, Forgiveness, and Reconciliation" event with the Special Forces Comrades Association, which caused friction with some civic groups. These civic groups have been telling Gwangju City that it is inappropriate for these organizations to be entrusted with the operation of the education center.

Following this, Gwangju City reversed its position, concluding that there was no organization to be selected as the preferred negotiation partner, and decided to either re-bid the consignment operation of the education center or consider direct operation.

The Injured Persons Association claims that behind this process, Gwangju City, conscious of the voices of civic groups, unfairly eliminated them from the recruitment process in an unjust manner.

Hwang Il-bong, president of the 5·18 Democratic Movement Injured Persons Association, said, "Mayor Kang Gi-jung of Gwangju City intervened in the '5·18 Education Center Consignment Operator Recruitment,' using his position to give unfair instructions to public officials, and although the officials recognized the unfairness, they likely committed illegal acts." He added, "About 200 members of the Injured Persons Association and the Meritorious Persons Association will begin submitting complaints against them in a relay format starting tomorrow."

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