Board of Audit and Inspection releases findings from public-sector corruption probe

[Yonhap]
[Yonhap]

A former Seoul Metropolitan Government official who oversaw contracting work accepted more than 29 million won ($21,000) in gifts and other benefits from the head of a company that repeatedly won city contracts, an audit has found.

The official, identified only as A, has since retired from the Seoul Metropolitan Government. The Board of Audit and Inspection referred both A and the company's representative, identified as B, to prosecutors.

The Board of Audit and Inspection released the findings Monday as part of its audit on corruption among local public officials.

The audit ran for one month beginning in June to examine potential collusion between public officials and interested parties in local government projects, contracts, and licensing processes.

Between April and December 2025, A oversaw the awarding and management of five contracts worth a combined 1.69 billion won to a company run by B.

During that period, A accepted 29.06 million won from B through a variety of means.

A used a corporate card provided by the company to make personal purchases — including expensive clothing and a gold necklace — on 51 separate occasions, totaling 21.03 million won. B had handed over the card with the instruction that the monthly limit was 2 million won.

A also received two nights at a Seoul hotel at 1.34 million won per night, totaling 2.68 million won, as well as a laptop as a gift for a child and golf entertainment worth a combined 3.78 million won.

In response, the Board of Audit and Inspection notified relevant authorities to take measures including restricting B's company from participating in future bids. It also referred A on bribery charges and B on charges of offering bribes to prosecutors.


sang@heraldcorp.com