Provincial Councilor Lee Seungjin Criticizes Inadequate Gangwon FC Subsidy Data: "Will Oversee Use of Taxpayer Funds to the End"

Gangwon Provincial Council Criticizes 7 Billion Won Subsidy Allocation for Personnel Expenses
Insufficient Information Disclosure Raises Concerns
Gangwon FC Refuses to Disclose Agent Fees Citing 'Business Confidentiality'
Calls Grow for Resolving Public Suspicions

Lee Seungjin, a member of the Social and Cultural Committee of the Gangwon Provincial Council (Democratic Party, Proportional Representation), demanded that the Gangwon Provincial Cultural and Sports Bureau provide detailed information on subsidies for Gangwon FC and resolve suspicions regarding agent fees.

Lee Seungjin, a member of the Social and Cultural Committee of the Gangwon Provincial Council (Democratic Party, Proportional Representation), is demanding the Gangwon Provincial Government's Department of Culture and Sports to provide detailed information on the subsidies for Gangwon FC and to clarify suspicions regarding agent fees. Provided by Gangwon Provincial Council

On November 24, Lee Seungjin (Chuncheon) began his questioning during the initial budget review for the 2026 Cultural and Sports Bureau by pointing out that, although he had requested related materials to clarify the details of Gangwon FC subsidies and address the recently reported issue of agent fees, the information provided was insufficient.

He noted that the entire 7 billion won subsidy for Gangwon FC in 2026 had been allocated solely to personnel expenses. He further pointed out that, despite requesting additional data such as the calculation basis for each budget item to verify the appropriateness of the allocation, the materials remained inadequate for proper review.

Additionally, regarding recent reports of suspicions involving fees paid to a particular agent company, Lee stated that he had asked Gangwon FC for a breakdown of agent fees by year. However, the club responded that it could not provide the information due to business confidentiality. He emphasized that if such requests for clarification are refused, public suspicion toward Gangwon FC will only grow.

He went on to say that Gangwon FC is a community club that covers player and staff salaries, transfer fees, and agent fees with provincial subsidies. Nevertheless, he questioned whether the province is properly fulfilling its oversight role, adding that a lack of transparency undermines the councilors’ ability to review and supervise on behalf of the residents.

Lee Seungjin concluded, “Whenever issues related to Gangwon FC arise, I have consistently called for transparent disclosure of information, yet the feedback remains severely lacking. As a representative of the residents, I will fulfill my responsibility to the end to ensure that suspicions regarding Gangwon FC are resolved and that taxpayers’ money is used appropriately.”

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