Rep. Joo Jin-woo "Reports Public Officials"…Suwon City Civil Service in Turmoil "What crime did the field workers commit?"

Allegations of preferential treatment in the selection of a voucher business institution involving the spouse of Kim Seung-won, a candidate for Minister of Justice, have escalated to a pledge to report field-level civil servants, prompting voices of resistance and concern within Suwon City's civil service.

According to political circles on the 15th, Rep. Joo Jin-woo of the People Power Party (Busan Haeundae-gap) released a recording on the same day in which he said that the spouse of Kim, the candidate, had received favors from Suwon City in the process of designating a provider of weekly activity services under the Korea Child Development Social Cooperative, in which the spouse had previously worked.

In the recording, the spouse of Kim, the candidate, said that a problem occurred during a fire inspection process and it was difficult to meet the examination schedule, stating "The team leader at the Welfare Division of City Hall asked our organization to be selected and extended the period and provided us with many conveniences" and "Our organization had the latest fire inspection, but they waited for that too."

Based on this, Rep. Joo raised allegations that Suwon City essentially provided convenience in the recruitment process on the premise of selecting the organization in question. He also stated his intention to file criminal charges against the civil servant who handled the matter and the spouse of Kim, the candidate.

Suwon City takes the position that there is a difference between the phrase "extended the period" in the recording and the actual administrative procedures.

According to the city, there were no facts of extending the business application period or changing the reception deadline for a specific organization at that time. The city also explains that fire-related documents in question had already been submitted before subsequent administrative procedures proceeded.

As political disputes have led to pledges to report individual field-level civil servants, the atmosphere inside City Hall is also changing.

With allegations related to Kim, the candidate's confirmation hearing being raised in succession, the city's relevant departments are reported to be handling urgent requests for materials from the government and the National Assembly while conducting routine work and reviewing past administrative records.

City civil servant A said, "If there was wrongdoing, we should undergo an audit and face appropriate punishment, but if a congressman singles out one field-level civil servant and pressures him, is that politics? Who would want to work with politicians?" and "Related department civil servants are doing their best by preparing requested materials until after midnight, but if this is how it goes, I don't understand why we need to respond to the point of harming ourselves."

Another civil servant B also said, "Unrelated departments weren't paying much attention because they were busy with their own work, but the atmosphere changed when talk came up of reporting the field-level team leader in charge" and "What crime did the field workers commit? After all, aren't field workers always in the position of 'do as told' and always subordinate?"

There is also concern within the city that field-level civil servants have been placed at the forefront of political disputes before illegality or preferential treatment has even been confirmed.

The timing is coincidental.

The city is ahead of a major organizational restructuring in October. The current system of "2 Divisions, 9 Bureaus, 5 Direct Agencies, 10 Business Operations, 4 Districts, 140 Divisions/Offices/Organizations" is set to be expanded and restructured to "2 Divisions, 11 Bureaus, 5 Direct Agencies, 9 Business Operations, 4 Districts, 145 Divisions/Offices/Organizations."

Following the organizational restructuring, a personnel committee is also scheduled for the 17th. In particular, with the restructuring expected to allocate some high-level positions previously held by political appointees to general-service civil servants and expand promotion opportunities, it is known that there was considerable anticipation within the civil service for this personnel decision.

Political disputes surrounding Kim, the candidate, have coincided with a sensitive period when attention is focused on promotions and position transfers.

Another civil servant C said, "With the timing coinciding with personnel season, people are being careful even on anonymous bulletin boards, but internally there is talk that Suwon City's work itself becoming a focus of attention is uncomfortable, and people feel burdened by every task" and "At times like this, I hope the city takes the initiative to clarify the facts accurately and protect the civil service."

Ultimately, the core of this controversy is what the phrase "extended the period," mentioned by the spouse of Kim, the candidate, in the recording actually means in terms of administrative procedures.

It appears necessary to verify through records the application period and examination schedule at the time, the document submission deadline and timing, and whether identical standards and opportunities were applied to other organizations.

A city official said, "There were no facts of extending the application period or changing the reception schedule for a specific organization at that time" and "Rather than determining from the expression in the recording alone that the civil servant in charge provided preferential treatment, we hope that the facts are confirmed based on objective administrative records regarding the recruitment and examination process at that time."