'Approval came after discussions by staff and political advisers'
City also calls allegations over investigation referral document 'distortion of facts'
The Seoul Metropolitan Government has rebuffed allegations raised by some Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers that Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon committed perjury during a national audit, saying the claims fail to consider the full context and facts of his remarks and therefore do not constitute perjury.
In a statement released Monday, the city said it was "unjust" to single out portions of Oh's remarks at the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee national audit on Oct. 15 and characterize them as perjury.
The city said Oh's statements at the national audit were not perjury but an explanation of a normal decision-making process. It said Oh had instructed officials to review necessary measures — including requesting a Board of Audit and Inspection probe or filing an investigation referral — regarding allegations surrounding the Han River bus service. Staff and political advisers subsequently discussed the matter and reached a consensus to first pursue a public-interest audit request with the Board of Audit and Inspection. Oh was then briefed on the outcome of that review through his chief of staff and gave his approval, after which the decision was conveyed to the city's audit committee and the public-interest audit request proceeded, the city said.
The city went on to say that Oh's statement at the Public Administration and Security Committee national audit — that "employees discussed and decided" — referred to the staff review process, while his statement at the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee national audit — that he "received a report from the chief of staff and gave approval" — described his own final decision-making step.
Earlier, a lawmaker surnamed Kim said at the national audit that Oh "brazenly committed perjury multiple times, not only at the Public Administration and Security Committee but also at the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee," adding that testimony had clearly revealed abuse of authority and obstruction of duties by what Kim described as a shadow line of political operatives with no official standing who had interfered with audit and investigation referrals. Kim also said testimony had confirmed that this unofficial political line — outside the formal approval chain for the Han River bus allegations — had manipulated city administration, calling it worse than the Choi Soon-sil network. Kim urged the minister to launch an audit under the Public Audit Act and the Local Autonomy Act, warning that failure to do so would constitute dereliction of duty, and called on the committee chair to file a complaint.
The city also rebuffed as a distortion of facts allegations that Oh had committed perjury regarding an investigation referral document related to the Han River bus service last year.
The city said there had been no order to destroy the investigation referral document; rather, once the decision was made to pursue a public-interest audit request with the Board of Audit and Inspection instead of filing an investigation referral, officials were instructed to take care in managing and securing materials related to the referral. Printed copies were disposed of in the process while electronic files were kept with password protection, and those files remain in the custody of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's audit committee. The city added that in February, the then-investigation officer printed the investigation referral and other related documents and reported the relevant allegations to the newly appointed audit committee chair, saying the claim that officials were ordered to destroy the materials altogether was not true. On allegations of perjury related to bribery claims, the city said a distinction must be drawn between being briefed on the allegations and being directly shown an investigation referral document listing specific amounts.
The city said Oh answered at the national audit in the sense that he had been briefed on the corruption allegations, and that he had not been directly shown an investigation referral document listing specific amounts. It added that the mere fact that related documents contained figures such as 1.54 billion won ($1.16 million) and 320 million won does not allow one to conclude that Oh was briefed on those specific amounts or that he recognized them as rebates paid to Seoul Housing & Communities Corp. employees.
cook@heraldcorp.com
