South Korean civic groups demand reinvestigation into inflated overseas trip budgets, citing police failure to target council members

A coalition of civic groups in South Korea has sharply criticized the police's investigation into alleged budget inflation for local council members' overseas trips. The groups, including the Citizens' Coalition for Transparency in Jeonbuk, labeled the police's findings as a "flawed investigation that only cut off the tail, leaving the body intact." They are demanding a full reinvestigation.

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The core culprits of the alleged embezzlement and inflation of budgets, the local council members, were safely excluded, and they were busy cutting off only the 'tail' like administrative staff or agencies.

The police had previously forwarded 46 individuals, including public officials and travel agency representatives, to prosecutors on charges of breach of duty and fraud. The investigation found that expenses were inflated by tens to hundreds of thousands of won per person. However, the police did not pursue charges against local council members, identified as the main beneficiaries, citing difficulties in proving their involvement.

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The police blinded themselves in front of the local council members, even though there was clear evidence of their misconduct in treating taxpayer money as their own.

Civic groups argue that this approach is a "typical shield investigation" that protects the core culprits – the local council members who allegedly misused public funds. They contend that the police "blinded themselves" in front of the council members, absolving those who directly benefited while shifting responsibility to administrative staff and agencies. This, they claim, negates the purpose of law enforcement.

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This investigation result is not only far from the common sense of the provincial residents but also a humiliating announcement that falls short of the public's expectations for a thorough investigation.

The coalition emphasized that the investigation results fall far short of public expectations and common sense. They are demanding that the current findings be discarded and a comprehensive reinvestigation be launched. The groups insist that the council members, the "real body" behind the inflated overseas trip costs, must be thoroughly investigated and brought to justice. They urged the police to seize this opportunity to restore their tarnished reputation.

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We demand that the flawed investigation results be discarded and a full reinvestigation be launched.