Jeon Hyun-hee, a member of the National Assembly's Political Affairs Committee from the Democratic Party, criticized the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission on October 21 for its passive response regarding the exposure of the identity of a whistleblower who reported allegations of kickbacks related to the Han River Bus project by Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon. She urged for a thorough investigation.
During a National Assembly audit session, Jeon pointed out that the employee who reported the allegations claimed that their personnel situation was affected after making the report during the audit of the Seoul City government on October 19.
"If the department or circumstances surrounding personnel changes were disclosed in a way that allowed others to identify the whistleblower, wouldn't that constitute a violation of the obligation to protect confidentiality?" Jeon questioned.
She emphasized that current law states that even if the content of a whistleblower report includes official secrets, it does not violate the obligation to maintain confidentiality.
Earlier this year, the employee reported the allegations against Mayor Oh to the Anti-Corruption Commission in March and inquired about the reporting process. After facing suspicion, they were included in a personnel change list in July. The employee's side claimed, "We inquired about the handling of the report to the Anti-Corruption Commission, but it seems that information was conveyed to the Seoul City government," raising concerns about whether the whistleblower's information was leaked.
In light of this controversy, Jeon, who served as the chair of the Anti-Corruption Commission during the Moon Jae-in administration, demanded a thorough investigation into whether the employee's information was transmitted, how it was conveyed, and the related personnel. She asserted, "If an Anti-Corruption Commission employee transmitted whistleblower information to the Seoul City government, it would be a violation of the Whistleblower Protection Act regarding confidentiality obligations."
Additionally, Jeon highlighted the issue of the Anti-Corruption Commission referring a staff member from the Korea Communications Standards Commission, who reported allegations of 'complaint solicitation' by former chair Ryu Hee-rim, to investigative authorities for violating personal information protection laws.
"If the Anti-Corruption Commission fails to protect the identities of whistleblowers, who can safely report internal corruption?" Jeon reiterated, calling for a thorough investigation into the identity exposure allegations related to the Han River Bus whistleblower and the potential transmission of reporting information within the Anti-Corruption Commission, stating that legal action should be taken if violations are confirmed.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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