'3rd Anniversary' Gyeonggi-do Social Service Agency Faces Serious Mismanagement Issues

It has been revealed that improper hiring practices at the Gyeonggi-do Social Service Institute, a public institution under Gyeonggi Province, are severe.

Gyeonggi Province announced on the 4th that from May 15 to June 2, it conducted an audit of the main office of the Gyeonggi-do Social Service Institute and its 11 affiliated institutions, uncovering improper hiring practices such as a director of a national and public daycare center hiring their own spouse unfairly, and elderly care institutions employing candidates who did not meet the passing criteria.

This audit is the first since the establishment of the Gyeonggi-do Social Service Institute in 2020.

Gyeonggi Province took a total of 15 administrative actions including institutional warnings, corrections, and notifications regarding the cases found, and requested personnel disciplinary actions against those responsible for handling hiring tasks in violation of laws and regulations.

The Gyeonggi-do Social Service Institute directly operates or manages under consignment from city and county governments 24 institutions within the province, including national and public daycare centers, Dahamkke Dolbom Centers, elderly protection specialized institutions, and elderly job support centers.

Among the major cases uncovered, Director A of a daycare center affiliated with the Gyeonggi-do Social Service Institute hired their own spouse, who should not have been hired according to agreements with local governments, without declaring or applying for avoidance of private conflicts of interest. This constitutes a violation of the "Public Officials Conflict of Interest Prevention Act," and Gyeonggi Province reported the case to the competent court to impose a fine. It was also revealed that the daycare center falsified evaluation reports by indicating that an exam committee member who did not attend was present during the hiring of another childcare staff member, leading to a request for prosecution.

Additionally, at 10 affiliated facilities of the Gyeonggi-do Social Service Institute, including elderly protection specialized institutions, illegal and improper handling of hiring tasks was confirmed, such as appointment after falsifying supporting documents, hiring candidates who did not meet passing criteria, and hiring candidates without qualifications. These were notified for disciplinary action according to internal regulations.

Issues were also found in the operation of the main office of the Gyeonggi-do Social Service Institute.

It was confirmed that in 2021, the Gyeonggi-do Social Service Institute paid net surplus funds, which should have been incorporated into basic assets, carried over, or reserved according to the articles of incorporation, as personal performance bonuses without legal grounds for payment. Gyeonggi Province stated that such actions resulted in undermining the financial soundness of the institution and issued an institutional warning to prevent recurrence.

Gyeonggi Province added that other problems were found, including ▲improper composition and operation of personnel committees ▲inappropriate execution of business promotion expenses contrary to budget purposes ▲contracts with unregistered construction contractors, and demanded improvement measures.

Lee Hee-wan, the Chief Auditor of Gyeonggi Province, said, "Considering that the Gyeonggi-do Social Service Institute is in its early stages of operation, we conducted a comprehensive consulting audit to establish a system for overall institutional management and ensure soundness," and added, "We hope this comprehensive audit will serve as an opportunity for the Gyeonggi-do Social Service Institute to create a transparent and sound management environment."

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