By Kim Bo-eun
Seoul City said Thursday it will question a high-ranking official of the city-run Sejong Center for the Performing Arts for allegedly enjoying free meals at a high-end restaurant run by the center.
The inspection follows a news report the previous day that the official, surnamed Jeong, had dinner at Samcheonggak, a Korean restaurant in northern Seoul, with 10 others including family members on Feb. 9. The meal cost 209,000 won per person, and the bill totaled to 2,229,000 won, but the official only paid 330,000 won in cash.
He claimed that he ordered a 30,000 won meal for everyone, but the restaurant staffers served a pricier meal to them voluntarily.
The price of dinner courses at the restaurant ranges from 69,300 won to 209,000 won. The cheapest item on the menu is “doenjang jjigae,” or bean paste stew, which costs 35,000 won.
After dinner, Jeong and his companions went to a teahouse within Samcheonggak, but did not pay for their beverages, reports said.
It is alleged that the official did not pay the bill last August as well when he had dinner with Seoul City officials there. At the time, Jeong and three city officials had around 20 bottles of alcohol and food that amounted to 1.5 million won, an insider of the restaurant was quoted as saying.
Employees of Samcheonggak, who are contract workers, kept silent about the matter in fear of being laid off, as Jeong has overseen affairs at Samcheonggak for several years as part of his duties.
Following the report, the city government stripped Jeong of his position, and said it would question him and punish him if the allegations are true. The three officials who ate with Jeong in August will also be punished, according to the city government.
Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon also called for a thorough inspection into the allegations, and if true, mete out severe punishment to Jeong. Park has been emphasizing ethics of public servants. He introduced anti-bribery regulations in 2014, which punishes city officials for accepting even 1,000 won in cash.
Samcheonggak was a spot frequented by high-ranking officials in the 1970s and 1980s. The Sejong Center for the Performing Arts has run it since 2009.