The Incheon City Council has raised concerns that workplace discipline at Incheon Facilities Corporation has deteriorated to a serious level.
Violations of conduct rules account for the bulk of audit sanctions, internal audit processing times have grown longer each year, and allegations have emerged over the management of ossuary units at Incheon Family Park — fueling growing calls for a broad overhaul of the corporation's internal control systems.
Cho Seong-min, a Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker on the Incheon City Council's Urban Construction Committee representing Namdong-gu District 4, scrutinized the corporation's discipline and audit practices during a budget and project progress briefing at the 312th extraordinary session held recently.
According to data Cho released, the corporation's audit division issued 42 disciplinary directives over the past year. Of those, 29 involved conduct-related matters — including attendance violations, unauthorized absences and breaches of service regulations — meaning roughly 70 percent of all audit sanctions were directly tied to workplace discipline failures.
The handling of corruption reports has also grown increasingly sluggish. The average processing time rose from 30 days in 2024 to 34 days last year and 45 days this year, raising questions about the effectiveness of the corporation's internal audit function.
Allegations surrounding the management of ossuary units at Incheon Family Park also came under scrutiny. Units that become vacant — through the return of remains, consolidation of ashes or relocation to another region — are supposed to be made available again to the public, but some units are alleged to have been improperly used by senior staff at the corporation.
Particularly troubling, the matter went unresolved for an extended period even after a tip was submitted to the audit division.
Flaws in the corporation's internal rule management were also identified. An anonymous reporting procedure established in 2022 was found to contain an error in which the provision setting the deadline for processing reports cited the wrong article — referencing a clause that does not actually apply.
Critics say the regulatory error could later trigger disputes over the legal validity of audit sanctions issued under the flawed procedure.
"The fact that conduct violations make up the majority of audit sanctions, and that corruption report processing times keep growing, is evidence that workplace discipline and the internal audit system are not functioning properly," Cho said. "The corporation must revise its guidelines, strengthen the fairness and credibility of its audits, and rebuild itself into an organization that citizens can trust."
Cho added that the allegations over ossuary unit management at Incheon Family Park and the delays in audit processing also require thorough investigation and measures to prevent recurrence. "The corporation must actively pursue systemic reform so that internal audits are not suspected of shielding insiders," he said.
gilbert@heraldcorp.com
