Vice Minister Jo Seong-gyeong of the Ministry of Science and ICT 'Corporate Card Allegations'... Research Union "Must Resign"

Suspicion of Misreporting Corporate Card Transactions
Union "Legal Action Needed to Hold Responsible"

The labor union in the science and technology sector has called for the voluntary resignation of Cho Seong-gyeong, the 1st Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, amid allegations that he reported the use of corporate card expenses for business promotion costs inaccurately.

The National Public Research Labor Union (Research Union), under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, issued a statement on the 16th, claiming that "Vice Minister Cho, who pointed out the cartel in the research field, illegally used the corporate card" and insisted that he should be held accountable through legal measures.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Controversy arose as it became known that many cases in Vice Minister Cho's business promotion expense execution details from last year showed discrepancies between the actual food prices and the number of people and the reported details. Additionally, it was pointed out that he frequently used business promotion expenses near his residence in Dogok-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, claiming to meet experts in the research field.

The Research Union criticized this, saying, "(Vice Minister Cho) is a typical case of double standards, being strict with the research field but infinitely lenient with himself." They also emphasized, "He is unfit to serve as vice minister and should resign," and "Vice Minister Cho, who committed misconduct as a public official, must resign." In response, Vice Minister Cho stated, "I have never used business promotion expenses for personal purposes, and it is not illegal to execute business promotion expenses near my residence."

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