30 Public Officials Caught in Misconduct Scandal After Playing "Martial Law" and Taking Bribes

[Financial News] A wave of local government officials has been caught engaging in misconduct, including workplace abuse and harassment of sanitation workers through so-called "martial law" games, as well as taking 20 million won from a person connected to their duties.
According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's recently released "2025 Special Inspection Results on Passive Administration and Public Service Discipline at Local Governments," 30 officials were found to have committed misconduct. The ministry said it has requested severe disciplinary action against them and ordered the recovery of a total of 126.87 million won.
The inspection was conducted over four weeks, from Nov. 10 to Dec. 5 last year. It was triggered by media reports in November last year about a man in his 40s, identified as A, a Grade 7 driver at the Yangyang County Office in Gangwon Province, who had repeatedly bullied and abused three sanitation workers in their 20s under his supervision from July to November last year through coercion, assault, threats and humiliation.
A deliberately parked the garbage truck far away so the victims had to walk, or drove off before they could get on, forcing them to run after it. He also threw lit cigarette butts, kicked one victim in the chest while they were changing clothes, and fired BB pellets at them.
In particular, A forced the victims to buy stocks he had purchased himself. If the stock price did not rise to his desired level, he shouted "martial law declared" and beat them while covering them with blankets. He also repeatedly forced the victims to show whether they were wearing red underwear, saying that "only red items, including underwear, should be used to boost stock prices." If they were not wearing red, he continued to insult them with beatings, informal and abusive language, and vulgar remarks.
As the case spread through the media, the Office of the President of the Republic of Korea ordered a thorough audit and investigation, intensifying the fallout. A was eventually dismissed, the most severe disciplinary action, and has since been indicted on charges including habitual assault and workplace harassment.
The ministry also requested lighter disciplinary action and reprimands for team leaders and other officials who knew about the case but failed to take prompt steps such as separating the perpetrator and protecting the victims. It also asked for an institutional warning against the Yangyang County Office.
The inspection also uncovered officials who had received cash and golf expenses from people connected to their duties.
An official identified as B, who works at a local government-run facility, is accused of taking 20 million won in cash in a box from the head of a company that signed a construction contract worth 5.2 billion won. Although B had financial dealings with four other people connected to his duties, he did not report them to the county head.
Another official, C, who works at the same facility, was also found to have taken 1 million won in cash from a person connected to his duties. However, the person claimed to have given C 2 million won, so the ministry requested severe disciplinary action and a referral for investigation against the officials involved.
At another local government branch office, official D received 317,500 won in cash and caddie fees while playing golf with three people, including a company head connected to his duties. Another official at the same branch, E, also received 614,000 won in golf expenses on three occasions from a person connected to his duties.
In addition, the ministry requested lighter disciplinary action for official F, a local government employee who wasted public funds by inflating the dredging volume in a 6.25 billion won construction project, receiving an extra 16.3 million won, and by fraudulently billing 22.5 million won after making improper design changes.
bng@fnnews.com Kim Hee-sun Reporter