Gyeonggi Province Promotes Citizen Auditor Participation in Real Estate Speculation Full-Scale Investigation

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hoon] Gyeonggi Province announced on the 12th that it will promote the participation of 'citizen auditors' in its full-scale internal investigation to enhance credibility regarding speculation allegations involving LH employees.

The Gyeonggi Province Audit Office has been operating the citizen auditor system since 2003 to realize fair and transparent audit administration through expanded participation of external experts. Currently, 67 experts from various fields including lawyers, accountants, social welfare experts, construction specialists, education experts, and civil society activists are active.

The province expects that through citizen auditor participation, specialized knowledge from various sectors can be utilized in the investigation process, and violations and improprieties can be identified and improvement measures can be derived from the perspective of the general public.

Citizen auditors will be responsible for collecting opinions on speculation allegations, selecting suspected speculators and investigating the illegality of their actions, and conducting on-site inspections of finally selected suspected speculation areas.

As a result of determining citizen auditor participation, approximately 50 out of a total of 67 have expressed active willingness to participate.

Kim Jong-gu, Gyeonggi Province's overall audit supervisor, said, "Citizen auditors have greatly helped improve inconveniences for residents and identify improper administration based on professional knowledge and passion in various special audits," and added, "In this investigation into speculation practices, we believe the activities of citizen auditors will greatly help ensure transparency and fairness of the investigation."

Meanwhile, the Gyeonggi Province full-scale investigation team conducting the real estate speculation investigation has selected 1,571 people as investigation targets, comprising 848 from Gyeonggi Provincial Government and 723 from Gyeonggi Housing & Urban Development Corporation (GH), and is currently collecting personal information consent forms.

The province plans to verify the subjects' land ownership and transaction details in new city development districts simultaneously with the submission of consent forms for expedited investigation.

The 1,571 people include all current and former employees (including retirees) who have worked at Gyeonggi Province's Urban Housing Bureau, Gyeonggi Economic Free Zone Authority, or GH since 2013 to the present, and their families.

Family scope includes not only direct lineal relatives of the employee but also siblings, direct lineal relatives of the spouse, and their siblings.

As the central government joint investigation team is currently investigating the third new city development districts, the province plans to first conduct full-scale investigations of six development districts led by Gyeonggi Province and GH.

These six sites include Gyeonggi Yongin Platform City, where GH holds a 95% stake, Pyeongtaek Hyunduk District, Gwangmyeong Hak-on, Seongnam Geumto, Anyang Gwanyang-go, and Anyang Indeokwon District.

After identifying suspected speculators through full-scale investigation of these six sites and proceeding to in-depth investigation, the province will also conduct full-scale investigations of Hanam Gyeosan, Gwacheon Gwacheon, and Ansan Jangsang districts among the third new city development districts where Gyeonggi Province and GH are participating in equity stakes.

Subsequently, the province plans to verify whether public officials from Gyeonggi Province and GH engaged in real estate speculation in the remaining third new city development districts, including Namyangju Wangsuk, Bucheon Daejang, and Gwangmyeong Siheung.

Additionally, the province plans to closely consult with relevant cities and counties to investigate areas adjacent to planned development districts.