Seoul City Requests Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Probe into Han River Bus Rebate Allegations

Statement Issued in Spokesperson's Name... "All Findings and Related Materials to Be Provided"

Seoul City has formally requested the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency to investigate allegations of rebates that emerged during the construction of Han River Bus vessels.

Seoul City announced this in a statement issued in the name of spokesperson Ho Jun-seok on the 16th, saying it would suspend the ongoing investigation by its Audit Committee and provide the police with all findings and related materials it had gathered. It pledged full cooperation to ensure an independent and thorough investigation.

Seoul City emphasized, "We will submit to an objective review so that not the slightest doubt remains about the substance of the allegations or the investigation and handling of the matter to date," adding, "We make clear our principle that every allegation must be thoroughly investigated and that no one should be exempt from having their responsibility established." It also urged the Democratic Party of Korea to "stop its political attacks that use unverified allegations to undermine the Seoul City government and cause unnecessary confusion."

At the National Assembly Public Administration and Security Committee's audit of Seoul City the previous day, allegations were raised that suspicious flows of funds involving a broker had been detected in project payments made to the company that built the Han River Bus vessels, and that some of the money may have gone to a senior executive at Seoul Housing & Communities Corporation (SH). There were also allegations that Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon knew about the matter but failed to investigate it properly and instead covered it up.

In its statement, Seoul City explained, "We previously requested a public interest audit by the Board of Audit and Inspection into the entire process of selecting the company implicated in the allegations, having determined that an investigation by a third-party institution would be appropriate to enhance objectivity and fairness." It added, "However, after the Board of Audit and Inspection dismissed the request, Seoul City continued its own investigation through the Audit Committee."

It continued, "At yesterday's Public Administration and Security Committee audit, one-sided political attacks continued without properly addressing Seoul City's efforts to uncover the facts, including its request for an audit by the Board of Audit and Inspection. This morning, even the Democratic Party's floor leader used the matter as material for political attacks." It said, "We judged that we could no longer allow political attacks to distort the essence of the fact-finding effort, and therefore immediately requested an investigation."

At a Supreme Council meeting on the 16th, Democratic Party floor leader Han Byung-do said, "The allegations of a cover-up of wrongdoing related to the Han River Bus, which came to light at yesterday's audit, are simply shocking," and urged, "The facts must be uncovered through an independent investigation."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.