Gwangju mayor says 'sorry' for forgery scandal

By Kim Tae-gyu

Kang Un-tae Gwangju mayor

Gwangju Mayor Kang Un-tae apologized Sunday for fabricating documents to win the right to host the 2019 World Aquatics Championships.

Kang has been accused of forging the signatures of former Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik and former Culture Minister Choe Kwang-shik on a bid document that purportedly showed a pledge by the central government to fund the event.

A complaint was filed with the prosecution against Kang's underlings for forging documents submitted to the bidding committee for the biennial International Swimming Federation or FINA competition.

At a time when we can jump for joy for the successful bid to host the FINA event, we are facing investigation of the prosecution.

As a mayor, I regret that, Kang told a press meeting.

I could not sleep for days because my beloved comrades are being probed for changing government documents although they were drafts. I hope to tender my sincere apology to citizens as I failed to check it in advance.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) said that a Gwangju official forged signatures in a document where the central government promised financial support of 73.9 billion won.

The case generated nationwide interests.

In response, Gwangju claimed that an official made the mistake for the October draft and the city deleted the amount when it tendered the intermediate offer this April and the final one two months later.

The city admitted its wrongdoing but contended that it was just an oversight that should not lead to any legal liabilities.

It was very careless of me to fail to prevent such a mishap. I do not intend to avoid moral responsibility, said the bureaucrat-turned-politician who became mayor of Gwangju in 2010.

It was a mistake and a fault resulted from (the citys) efforts to win the rights to host the swimming championships, not from selfish interests (of our officials). I ask for leniency and hope to explain details to prosecutors.

Then, the former two-term lawmaker requested the central governments financial assistance for the global swimming festival.

In tandem with its philosophies of national integration and the era of peoples happiness, I humbly request again that the government will not spare its active supports and assistance for the success of the championships, he said.