Local council's overseas trips

[Anchor]

Last month, council members from a local government in Gyeongnam Province sparked controversy by going on a business trip to Japan even during the emergency martial law situation.

To prevent such wasteful overseas trips funded by taxpayer money, the government has introduced measures.

Reporter Lee Soo-min has investigated whether these measures will be effective.

[Report]

In the early hours of the 9th of last month, council members from Uiryeong County appeared at Gimhae International Airport.

Just six days after the emergency martial law was declared, they set off for a group business trip to Japan.

Despite the stated purpose of the trip being to learn about urban regeneration cases, a significant portion of the 4-night, 5-day itinerary consisted of tourist activities, including visits to Osaka Castle.

[Member of Uiryeong County Council, Gyeongnam Province: "Please ask the chairman. (There must be a purpose for this overseas trip, right?)"]

A recent investigation by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission into the overseas trips of local council members over the past three years found that over 40% of cases involved inflated expenses due to flight ticket forgery or alteration.

There were also 33 instances where budget was spent on tourist guide fees, and even cases where tax money was used to purchase alcohol, playing cards, or hangover remedies were uncovered.

To address this chronic issue of wasteful overseas trips, the government has decided to strengthen pre- and post-trip management.

Previously, it was sufficient to post the trip plan on the website within three days of review, but now it must be posted 45 days before departure and include public feedback.

During the review of the plan, the visiting institutions, staff lists, and costs will be scrutinized, and if any issues are found, the plan will need to be re-evaluated.

After returning, a report on the results must be submitted, and a review committee will separately evaluate the outcomes of the trip.

[Lee Joon-sik/Director of Election and Local Autonomy Regulations, Ministry of the Interior and Safety: "To ensure that the original purpose of discovering policies and collecting data suitable for local conditions can be fulfilled..."]

Over the past three years, local councils across the country have spent more than 35 billion won under the guise of overseas trips.

This is KBS News, Lee Soo-min.