[Issue] What Is Behind The Prolonged Audit Of Suncheon’s “Skycube Bridge Pier Project”?

Procedures Underway After Transfer to the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission... Final Results Not Yet Reported
Project Expenditure Issues Closed... Only Subcontracting Under Investigation
Delays in Coordinating Views Among South Jeolla Province, Suncheon City, and the Cultural Foundation

In Suncheon, South Jeolla Province, the audit procedure surrounding the “Skycube Bridge Pier Landscape Development Project,” which was promoted in early 2023, has been ongoing for more than a year, drawing attention to the reasons behind the delayed outcome.

Seukaigyubeu bridge pier construction project. Provided by Suncheon City

The project was carried out ahead of the 2023 Suncheonman International Garden Expo, with a budget of approximately 560 million won. Afterward, questions were raised about the appropriateness of certain budget executions and subcontracting processes. Following its review of the matter, the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission requested an audit by South Jeolla Province, bringing the suspicions to the surface.

According to this newspaper’s reporting, the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission transferred the case to South Jeolla Province in December 2024. In response, the provincial government sent an official letter requesting an investigation to Suncheon City on February 14, 2025, and it has been confirmed that the province received replies on two occasions, April 1 and July 10.

However, as of February 2026, the audit results have not yet been formally reported to the Commission. An official in charge of audits at South Jeolla Province explained, “The processing deadline has already passed, but we are additionally verifying the facts among the related institutions,” adding, “We are carrying out the procedures necessary to reach an accurate judgment.”

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, based on its review, closed the matter with regard to the project expenditure itself, concluding that there were no particular issues on that front. The current focus of the audit is limited to determining whether the subcontracting process was appropriate.

According to the project tender plan and related documents obtained by this newspaper, unusually large amounts were budgeted, raising further suspicion: 52 million won for washing 15 bridge piers within the project area, 160 million won for painting the bridge piers, 120 million won for creating the passage box space, and 55 million won for manufacturing and installing the steel frame.

In particular, suspicions have been heightened by rumors that, during the process of replacing the head of the Suncheon branch of the Federation of Artistic & Cultural Organizations of Korea, a senior official of Suncheon City and a federation official mentioned in conversation that “it seems there was a problem involving around 100 million won in the Skycube bridge pier landscape project.”

A South Jeolla Province official stated, “The project expenditure portion is a matter that the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission has already sorted out on its own, and we are currently verifying the facts regarding issues related to subcontracting.”

The main reason cited for the delay in the audit results is the process of reconciling differing views among institutions. South Jeolla Province is in the process of comprehensively confirming the positions of Suncheon City’s audit office, the relevant departments, and the cultural foundation.

In particular, as the province examines both the views of Suncheon City, which ordered the project, and the explanations from the cultural foundation that was involved in carrying out the project, it is reported that a considerable amount of time has been required, regardless of whether Suncheon City intended this or not.

A South Jeolla Province official said, “It is taking time because we have to compare and review the explanations and documents from different institutions.”

Suncheon City’s position is that it will first confirm the stance of the cultural foundation, which handled the practical work during the project implementation, and then deliver it to South Jeolla Province. However, the cultural foundation has not issued any separate official statement regarding the matter.

As this verification process, which runs from South Jeolla Province to Suncheon City and then to the cultural foundation, is repeated, the overall audit schedule has been extended. According to the province, the fact that the person in charge of the audit has changed multiple times during the process has also contributed to the delay.

The current person in charge has been in the role for about a month and is reportedly in the process of reviewing the existing documents and the progress made so far.

A South Jeolla Province official said, “We are currently organizing the overall sequence of events through phone calls and document checks with the relevant institutions,” and added, “Once we have sufficiently verified the facts, we will submit the results to the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission.” As this audit concerns a project funded with public money, it continues to draw interest from the local community.

Some observers, noting the prolonged audit, have voiced concern about the slow pace of administrative processing, while others argue that accurate fact-finding must take precedence.

South Jeolla Province has stressed, “This is not a delay for the sake of delay, but a process to reach an accurate conclusion.” For now, it appears that the timing of the announcement of the audit results will depend on when the verification of facts among the related institutions is completed.

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