Incheon, South Korea - Two Incheon Metropolitan City Council members arrested last week on charges of accepting hundreds of millions of won in bribes are set to continue receiving their monthly allowance of 3.67 million won (approximately $2,700 USD) in public funds. This controversial situation has arisen due to the Incheon City Council's long-standing failure to reform its allowance payment system, despite repeated calls for improvement from the national anti-corruption watchdog.

Council members Cho Hyun-young, 50, and Shin Chung-shik, 51, were taken into custody by the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency on March 28th. They are accused of accepting substantial sums of money from individuals involved in the procurement of electronic whiteboards for schools under the jurisdiction of the Incheon Metropolitan City Office of Education.

While the council members face serious bribery allegations, the Incheon City Council confirmed on the 28th that they will continue to receive their monthly allowance of 3,679,000 won. This amount excludes the 2 million won allocated for monthly activity expenses, which will be suspended following their arrest and indictment.

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC) had previously issued a recommendation in December 2022 to all local councils across the country, urging them to immediately halt the payment of monthly allowances to elected officials upon their arrest to prevent the misuse of taxpayer money. In response to this directive, numerous other city and provincial councils have enacted ordinances to suspend these payments, effectively safeguarding public funds.

However, the Incheon City Council has yet to implement such a measure. This legislative inaction has now resulted in the contentious scenario where two elected officials accused of significant corruption will continue to draw a substantial monthly allowance while in detention and awaiting trial. According to the current regulations, these payments will only cease if the council members are ultimately convicted, expelled from the council, or lose their eligibility to hold public office.

An official from the Incheon City Council acknowledged the delay in addressing this issue, stating, "We discussed the enactment of an ordinance regarding allowances in the latter half of last year, but decided to postpone further discussion. Even if we manage to create an ordinance during the upcoming June regular session, it unfortunately cannot be applied retroactively to the two council members currently under arrest."

This situation is likely to fuel public debate regarding the accountability of elected officials and the responsible management of public funds within the Incheon Metropolitan City Council.

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