By Kang Hyun-kyung
Investigators raided the office of Gwangju Mayor Kang Un-tae, Thursday, as part of an investigation into the use of forged signatures of high-ranking officials by local civil servants to win the 2019 World Aquatics Championships bid.
This is the first time that the mayor's office has been searched by prosecutors. Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office said it sent five investigators to search for documents at the office in the afternoon. Mayor Kang was not present at the time of the raid because he has been on summer vacation since Monday.
The prosecution also searched the residency of Kim Yoon-seok, Secretary General of Gwangju's bidding committee for the event.
"We've questioned Mayor Kang and other officials but it was not sufficient. That's why we conducted raids on the offices of related officials," a prosecutor said. "We are going to determine who is to be prosecuted after a thorough investigation."
The search of the mayor's office came days after the prosecution raided the city government, questioned several city officials and a consultant working at a private PR company who worked closely together with the bidding committee.
Earlier, Mayor Kang denied involvement in the bidding committee's use of fake signatures of then Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik and the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Gwang-sik.
He claimed that he was innocent and that a working-level civil servant "made a mistake" regarding the use of the signatures in a letter which confirmed the Korean government's sponsorship guarantee of the global sport event and was sent to FINA, the governing body of the sport.
His remarks caused a stir among city officials. The union of civil servants expressed worries over Kang's remarks, saying that they would wait to see how the investigation turns out. They warned that they would not sit back if innocent civil servants are victimized.
Prosecutors will focus on how the signatures were copied and used on the city's bidding documents submitted to FINA. Gwangju City was named host city of the 2019 World Swimming Championships on July 19.
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| An investigator walks out of Gwangju Mayor Kang Un-tae's office in the southwestern city, carrying a box after a raid there, Thursday. / Yonhap |
This is the first time that the mayor's office has been searched by prosecutors. Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office said it sent five investigators to search for documents at the office in the afternoon. Mayor Kang was not present at the time of the raid because he has been on summer vacation since Monday.
The prosecution also searched the residency of Kim Yoon-seok, Secretary General of Gwangju's bidding committee for the event.
"We've questioned Mayor Kang and other officials but it was not sufficient. That's why we conducted raids on the offices of related officials," a prosecutor said. "We are going to determine who is to be prosecuted after a thorough investigation."
The search of the mayor's office came days after the prosecution raided the city government, questioned several city officials and a consultant working at a private PR company who worked closely together with the bidding committee.
Earlier, Mayor Kang denied involvement in the bidding committee's use of fake signatures of then Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik and the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Gwang-sik.
He claimed that he was innocent and that a working-level civil servant "made a mistake" regarding the use of the signatures in a letter which confirmed the Korean government's sponsorship guarantee of the global sport event and was sent to FINA, the governing body of the sport.
His remarks caused a stir among city officials. The union of civil servants expressed worries over Kang's remarks, saying that they would wait to see how the investigation turns out. They warned that they would not sit back if innocent civil servants are victimized.
Prosecutors will focus on how the signatures were copied and used on the city's bidding documents submitted to FINA. Gwangju City was named host city of the 2019 World Swimming Championships on July 19.
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