Gyeonggi Seongnam Mayor Eun Su-mi, who is suspected of illegally hiring a large number of election camp volunteers, appeared at the police as a suspect and was interrogated for 11 hours.
The anti-corruption and economic crime investigation unit of the Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency investigated her mayor Eun for 11 hours from 2 pm yesterday (4th) to 1 am this day on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of exercise of right.
It is said that her mayor Eun spoke about how her volunteers from her own election camp were recruited in large numbers, including the Seohyeon Library Archives, a public institution in Seongnam City.
Mayor Eun gave no response to a reporter's query asking if she 'acknowledged her charges', and she walked out of the Gyeonggi Nambu Government Complex.
The allegations were raised in September 2020 when an article was uploaded to the Blue House National Petition asking, "I want the truth to be revealed about the suspicions of illegal hiring of Eun Su-mi's election camp volunteers."
The author raised the issue, saying, “The interview for Seohyun Library’s public service job was at a competitive rate of 26 to 1, and 7 out of 15 finalists were volunteers at the silver market camp.”
Afterwards, her civil servant A, who quit after working in the mayor's secretary's office, submitted a public interest report to the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, and the police launched an investigation.
In December of last year, the police arrested Mr. B, a representative of the Eun Mayor's camp, and Mr. C, an executive officer of Seongnam City, on charges of obstructing the execution of public affairs by hierarchies involved in illegal hiring and handed them over to the prosecution.
B and C were arrested and indicted on charges of involvement in the fraudulent recruitment of seven volunteers as data investigators at the Seohyeon Library in Seongnam.
At the decision trial held on the 24th of last month, the prosecution demanded 5 years in prison for B and 3 years in prison for C.
The sentencing hearing will be held at the Seongnam Branch of the Suwon District Court on the 14th.
On the other hand, this is the first time Mayor Eun has been investigated by the police since allegations of illegal hiring at Seohyun Library surfaced.
(Photo = Yonhap News)