North Jeolla Education Office Faces Calls for Reinvestigation Over Alleged Misuse of Student Funds for Milan Trip

Civic organizations and labor unions in South Korea's North Jeolla Province are demanding a thorough reinvestigation into the provincial education office's alleged misuse of student funds for an overseas trip to the Milan Winter Olympics.

Groups including the North Jeolla branches of the Korean Government Employees' Union and the Korean Teachers and Education Workers' Union, along with the Jeonbuk Citizens' Coalition for Media Freedom and the Participation and Self-Governance of Gunsan Citizens, issued a joint statement on Tuesday. They criticized the education office's audit division for closing its internal investigation into the alleged misconduct by the acting superintendent. The groups argue that merely refunding some travel expenses does not resolve the core issues of procedural illegality and the unclear identities of those who actually benefited from the funds.

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The refunding of travel expenses after the fact does not resolve the procedural illegality, the appropriateness of budget execution, and the suspicion surrounding the actual users.

The controversy first surfaced when it became known that student sports budgets were used for the acting superintendent's trip to the Winter Olympics. Official reports indicated five participants, but seven tickets for events were purchased. Additionally, expenses for performances not on the official itinerary were incurred, and some travel costs were allegedly split across the 2025 and 2026 budgets.

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We demand a full reinvestigation through the special audit committee directly under the superintendent into the reasons for purchasing tickets different from the official number of participants, the actual beneficiaries of the performance expenses, and the reasons for splitting the budget across 2025 and 2026.

The education office's audit division conducted its own investigation and ordered the refund of some expenses. However, specific details of the disciplinary actions have not been disclosed, citing ongoing review procedures. The civic groups contend that this post-hoc refunding is insufficient to address the procedural irregularities, the appropriateness of the budget execution, and the lingering questions about the actual users of the funds. They fear the investigation is a case of "insiders protecting insiders" to conceal the improper use of public funds.

Demanding a direct investigation by a special audit committee under the superintendent, the groups called for a full probe into the discrepancies in ticket purchases, the actual beneficiaries of performance expenses, and the rationale behind splitting costs across future budgets. They also urged the superintendent to revise the standards for official overseas travel and training, and to apply a zero-tolerance policy for any wrongdoing.

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Based on the reinvestigation results, we must revise the standards for official overseas travel and training, and strictly hold those involved in misconduct accountable under the principle of zero tolerance.