Unified Mayor Min Hyeong-bae hires secretary with 'embezzlement history'... Spread of criticism and withdrawal demands (comprehensive)

Park Byeong-gyu, head of Gwangsan-gu, "requests reconsideration"; civil servant labor union "must apologize to citizens"

(Jeonnam Gwangju = Yonhap News) Reporter Jeong Da-um = Voices demanding the cancellation of the employment of Jeonnam Gwangju Unified Special Mayor Min Hyeong-bae, who hired a person with a history of embezzlement as his assistant secretary, are spreading.

On the 10th, Gwangsan-gu Mayor Park Byeong-gyu posted a post on his Facebook page titled ‘Mayor Min Hyeong-bae, I request you to reconsider personnel appointments to drive the city administration’ and pointed out, “We must distinguish between whether appointment is possible legally and whether it is appropriate to appoint him as a public official.”

He criticized, “It is difficult to view the hiring of a person who was dismissed from Gwangju FC for embezzlement and even received criminal punishment as the mayor’s assistant as a matter of simple personnel appointment or political judgment.”

The repeated personnel controversies after integration can be understood considering the mayor's personnel rights and autonomy in municipal administration, but they clearly stated that this case was different and set up a confrontational stance.

District Mayor Park expressed concern, saying, “If this issue is added to a situation where there have already been several personnel controversies, citizens’ trust in city administration will be shaken,” and “even the momentum for policy implementation could be weakened.”

He continued, “There is a need to comprehensively consider not only the legality of personnel appointments, but also the morality of public officials, the expectations of citizens, and the impact on future city administration.”

The Gwangju branch of the National Civil Service Workers' Union also issued a press release on the same day, saying, "Mayor Min should immediately cancel this recruitment and apologize to the citizens," and pointed out, "Public office is not a trophy handed out to close associates."

He also expressed concern, saying, “It can never be possible to have a person who has touched citizens’ money assist the mayor,” and added, “It is questionable whether strict personnel verification standards are also applied to other close associates.”

The controversy arose when it became known that a person who had been fined for embezzling a portion of the season ticket sales proceeds while working at Gwangju FC (embezzlement in business) was hired as a level 6 secretary for Mayor Min in a special service in July of this year.

The Unified City stated that Gwangju FC is not an organization subject to the Local Public Officials Act, and Mr. A did not receive a sentence heavier than imprisonment, so there was no reason for disqualification from appointment.

Previously, on the 29th of last month, District Mayor Park struck an angle with Mayor Min by posting a post on Facebook to the effect that voluntary participation of citizens should be a priority in response to the request to post a thank you and welcome banner related to the creation of a semiconductor cluster.

At the time, he revealed that he had received several calls requesting to post the banner, and indirectly criticized Mayor Min, saying that the low response from citizens should not be judged as a lack of will or a sense of defeat in the local community.