Controversy Over Wedding Gifts for a Chungju City Employee's Son

There is controversy as subordinate employees accepted wedding gifts at the wedding of a level 4 Chungju city official's son.

At the wedding of Director A's son held on the 19th, two public officials were responsible for receiving wedding gifts from the groom's side. These officials did not have a personal relationship with Director A's son, raising questions about whether their participation was voluntary.

According to Article 13-2 of the Public Officials Ethics Code, public officials shall not exercise their influence derived from their official authority or position to receive or demand private labor from job-related personnel or public officials related to their duties.

In a situation that could potentially violate these regulations, Park Jeong-sik, the chairman of the Chungju City Public Officials Union, stated, "We will first verify the facts and then determine whether there was a violation of the code of conduct and seek countermeasures."

Director A said, "I did not request attendance at the wedding," and added, "I will be more cautious going forward in light of the controversy."

This incident has garnered even more attention as it is reported that a similar case occurred last year. There are growing calls for clear guidelines and training to prevent such practices from being repeated within the public sector.

A Chungju city official mentioned, "We plan to strengthen internal education related to the enhancement of public officials' ethics as a result of this incident." This is expected to contribute to increasing transparency and trust within the public sector.

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