Serious Lapse in Discipline Among Gyeonggi Province Officials

In recent years, Gyeonggi Province officials have been found to account for the highest number of misconduct cases nationwide, as detected by government joint inspection teams.

According to administrative audit materials submitted by Gyeonggi Province to the provincial assembly on the 26th, from 2003 to July of this year, a total of 150 officials nationwide were caught for misconduct by government joint inspection teams, with 46 of them—30.6%—identified as Gyeonggi Province officials.

This figure is more than double that of Seoul in second place with 23 officials, and Chungcheongnam Province in third place with 19 officials.

The number of detected cases by year showed an increasing trend, with 9 cases in 2003, 12 in 2004, 20 in 2005, and 5 this year, and Gyeonggi Province ranked first nationally each year.

By type of misconduct, acceptance of money and entertainment accounted for the majority with 42 cases, while discipline lapses numbered 4 cases.

As a result, 2 officials were arrested, 16 received suspension or salary reduction, 7 received reprimand, and 21 received minor disciplinary action.

Provincial assembly member Cho Seon-mi stated that "there is a widespread lack of discipline among Gyeonggi Province officials, who do not regard accepting money such as holiday gifts as a crime," and emphasized that "rigorous job training and education on professional ethics are urgently needed to restore proper discipline."