Exclusive Truth About Suwon City Council's Suspicious Operational Funds Must Be Revealed
[News S=Reporter Jung Jun-sung] The Suwon City Council (Council Speaker Kim Ki-jeong) has been disclosing operational funds of the speaker, vice speaker, and six standing committee chairs. However, suspicions have been raised after questionable points emerged in the execution details of the Planning and Economy Committee Chair among the publicly disclosed operational funds from December of last year.
The Planning and Economy Committee Chair's December operational fund usage totaled 11 entries with an amount of 1.975 million won. However, 11 of those entries were recorded as operational funds used for flower bouquet purchases. The remaining three entries were disclosed as meal expenses for meetings. The total number of flower bouquets purchased with operational funds was 43. (Upper photo)
However, examining the detailed payment records raises more questions and amplifies suspicions. From 2:13 p.m. to 2:19 p.m. on December 14, split credit card payments were made at one-minute intervals across seven transactions, ranging from 50,000 won to as much as 239,000 won. The florist where the flower bouquets were purchased was concentrated at a single location, with total payment amounts of 1.251 million won.
However, suspicious aspects do not end there. Oddly, as this reporter's investigation began, these publicly disclosed operational fund details disappeared on the morning of the 13th, and new operational fund execution details were posted.
In the changed execution details, only two of the seven credit card payment entries at one-minute intervals were retained, while the rest were reclassified as meal expenses for meetings. Five credit card payment entries from 2:15 p.m. to 2:19 p.m. on December 14 have disappeared. (Lower photo)
When contacted, a Suwon City Council official stated only that "an internal administrative error was confirmed, and the change was made unavoidably."
Additionally, the official could not provide an answer as to why the correction was posted only two months after the December operational fund disclosure when the investigation began.
Given the circumstances, there is sufficient reason to raise questions about potential misuse of operational funds, and an investigation to confirm the truth appears inevitable.
A citizen Kim M-o (resident of Ingye-dong, Paldal-gu, Suwon) said, "This clearly demonstrates how carelessly operational funds are used and disclosed. Whether it is an internal error or mistake, there should be verification of whether misuse occurred. Since operational funds are taxpayer money, I hope there is sincerity in how they are used and disclosed."