KCTU Criticizes Gwangju Social Service Institute for Supporting Mayor Kang Gi-jung's Re-election: "Is This Election Care Service?"

On May 27, the Gwangju branch of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) criticized the actions of current and former executives of the Gwangju Social Service Institute who created a group chat to support the re-election of Gwangju Mayor Kang Gi-jung.

In a statement released that day, the Gwangju KCTU branch said, "An executive of the Gwangju Social Service Institute invited about 20 heads of organizations participating in the institute's projects to a KakaoTalk group chat, and another former executive stated, 'This group was created to support Mayor Kang Gi-jung's re-election,' adding that he would serve as an advisor and evaluation committee member for the Community Social Service Investment Project. They engaged in blatant pre-election campaigning, including posting membership application forms for the Democratic Party of Korea."

They further questioned, "Who is the Gwangju Social Service Institute really serving?" and pointed out, "The Gwangju Social Service Institute is the agency responsible for overseeing Gwangju-style integrated care. Is Gwangju-style integrated care supposed to include providing election support services for the mayor?"

They also stated, "Citizens cannot help but be outraged. Mayor Kang Gi-jung holds the authority to appoint heads of city-funded and city-invested organizations, while executives at the Social Service Institute may be using their audit authority as leverage to exert undue pressure. The Gwangju Social Service Institute also failed to fulfill its responsibilities during the dismissal of substitute childcare teachers in 2023," they added.

Additionally, they noted, "Recently, care workers at the Gwangju Social Service Institute have been demanding at least minimal improvements in working conditions to provide high-quality services," and added, "'Care workers are demanding that their weekly working hours be guaranteed at 15 hours so they can be enrolled in the four major social insurances.' These care workers feel not only anger but also deep dismay at the sight of Social Service Institute executives focusing on election support for the mayoral race. Mayor Kang Gi-jung must publicly state his position on this matter and establish measures to prevent a recurrence," they concluded.

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