Employees at public institutions under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport have been found to violate work discipline, including failing to issue warnings about icy road conditions and driving under the influence. More than 70% of the 10 disciplinary actions reported were related to negligence or violations of service regulations.
On October 8, Rep. Bok Gi-wang of the Democratic Party analyzed 734 disciplinary cases from 17 agencies under the ministry, revealing that 531 cases, or 72.3%, were related to misconduct, including negligence, violations of service regulations, and drunk driving. All 17 agencies reported such disciplinary actions, with 127 cases identified since September of last year.
By type, the most common violations were negligence and management failures, totaling 418 cases. This was followed by 79 cases of failure to comply with service directives and 34 cases of drunk driving. The Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) accounted for 178 cases, while Korail Tech had 158 cases, together representing 63.3% of all misconduct-related disciplinary actions. The Korea Expressway Corporation reported 57 cases, and the Korea Land Information Corporation had 41 cases.
Instances of negligence were also confirmed in road management, which directly impacts public safety. A deputy at the Korea Expressway Corporation failed to issue a warning to reduce speed by 50% despite a 'danger' level warning for potential icy conditions. Additionally, there were instances of false data entry into the system, such as summoning branch managers and department heads to the disaster response headquarters.
There were also cases of failure to prevent embezzlement and improper payments. A branch manager at the Korea Expressway Corporation neglected to manage employee negligence, allowing embezzlement to continue, while two department heads approved vouchers used for embezzlement without proper verification. A department head at the Korea Railroad Corporation falsely conducted inspections and made payments for goods that were never delivered.
Cases of drunk driving and driving without a license were also reported. A deputy at the Korea Railroad Corporation drove with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.208%, which is 2.6 times the legal limit of 0.08%. Another employee from the same corporation drove without a license 15 times over three weeks, covering approximately 19 kilometers between home and work.
At the Saemangeum Development Corporation, three employees, including a team leader and a deputy, were caught driving under the influence after a company dinner. At Incheon International Airport Corporation, an employee whose license was revoked for drunk driving was found driving without a license and failed to report this to the company during an audit.
Rep. Bok stated, "The fact that over 70% of disciplinary actions stem from a failure to adhere to basic principles indicates a lack of vigilance in the field. We need to foster an organizational culture where managers prioritize adherence to basic principles, ensuring that the majority of employees who diligently follow the rules are respected."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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