Boseong Marina Subsidy Embezzlement of 200 Million Won Sent to Prosecution

He began to embezzle funds by sending subsidies to the individuals and companies concerned and then receiving a portion back.

News Tam Sa explained that Director Kim sent subsidies under the guise of "spent labor costs, spent rent" and then received a portion back.

Director Kim also committed illegal acts during the selection process of the Deungnyangman Fishing Park consignment operator. He is accused of providing bribes to Boseong-gun public officials to ensure his company was selected as the operator.

Furthermore, he influenced the selection as the fishing park operator by registering false judges.

It was revealed that Director Kim wrote his name and contact information on the mooring contract for a ship called 'Green Tea Ho,' but the then-consignee, the yacht association chairman, was completely unaware of this contract. Mooring fees were never deposited into the association's account, and Chairman Kim Soon-seok even claimed that the yacht had never been moored there.

Regarding this, News Tam Sa raised suspicions, explaining, "The name of the ship is Green Tea, and the owner's name and contact information are Director Kim's. The mooring started on November 18, 2021... The yacht association chairman knows nothing about it. Absolutely nothing... No money was deposited into the association's account. Chairman Kim Soon-seok even says that yachts like the one in this photo have never been moored there."

This suggests the possibility that Director Kim forged documents and embezzled funds without the consignee's consent.

As the scale of Director Kim's case grew, the Jeollanam-do Provincial Police Agency combined several cases for investigation. This case includes various charges such as double contracting, embezzlement, and violation of the Subsidy Act.

Following the investigation results by the Jeollanam-do Provincial Police Agency, a decision was made to transfer the case to the Gwangju District Prosecutor's Office, Suncheon Branch.

According to the crime summary table, out of 29.78 million won disbursed to the Boseong-gun Yacht Association, 9.9 million won was received into Director Kim's personal account. An administrative employee, Mr. Kim, who worked with Director Kim, was also named as a suspect.

The two are accused of embezzling the entrusted management fees for the yacht association from Boseong-gun and falsely applying for subsidies to receive them by fraudulent means.

Director Kim is accused of embezzling approximately 165 million won out of about 200 million won in subsidies disbursed to the association by local governments, by falsely disbursing it and then receiving 155 million won back. In particular, he used the method of sending 10 million won for labor costs and then receiving 5.8 million won back.

He has been sent to the prosecution on charges of false business applications, use for purposes other than intended, violation of the Subsidy Management Act, fraud, and occupational embezzlement.

Director Kim showed the same illegal patterns in several projects, including the fishing park consignment project and false applications for matching support funds for school-linked sports clubs. In the fishing park project, he continued to embezzle by sending 10 million won for labor costs and then receiving 5.8 million won back the next day.

These actions demonstrate that false performance reports and subsidy embezzlement were repeatedly carried out across multiple projects.

Director Kim was also implicated in allegations of mooring fee embezzlement outside of subsidy projects. Evidence revealed that he created a mooring confirmation without the yacht owner's knowledge and used the association's seal and signature without the chairman's approval.

This could constitute occupational embezzlement due to the unauthorized use of the association's name and forgery of official documents in non-subsidy projects.

The host claimed that subsidies were allocated to match the amount Director Kim requested, and that much more was paid than actually necessary.

This leads to suspicions of mismanagement or collusion by local government officials, and suggests the possibility that Director Kim used this to create a slush fund.

Director Kim is suspected of being given the opportunity to embezzle subsidies by entering into a double contract even though his contract period with former chairman Kim Soon-seok was still valid. The host criticized this, stating that even private companies would not enter into facility management contracts in this manner.

This raises questions about the lack of transparency in the contract process and whether Director Kim received special treatment.

The police investigation revealed the specific scale and methods of Director Kim's embezzlement. According to the testimony of former chairman Kim Soon-seok, the police seized and investigated Director Kim's cell phone and bank accounts to determine the exact amount embezzled by Director Kim.

In particular, an embezzlement amount of approximately 260 million won was confirmed from sports club operations and the fishing park, and it was also revealed that a slush fund was created through an account in the name of Director Kim's accountant.

Chairman Kim Soon-seok explained the situation at the time, saying, "When the police agency investigated, the exact amount of bribes to public officials and Director Kim's embezzlement was all in the police investigation. About 260 million won, and separately about 70 million won from the sports club he managed next door and the fishing park."

At the same time, Director Kim claimed that former chairman Kim Soon-seok continuously demanded money and added that he had submitted evidence of this to the prosecution.

Director Kim claimed that former chairman Kim Soon-seok demanded money from him. He stated that former chairman Kim demanded 3 million won per month, and that there were records of him directly giving cash as pocket money or transferring it to former chairman Kim's daughter's account.

Director Kim claimed to have submitted a recording and related materials to the prosecution, saying, "I also extracted and submitted a recording of that to the prosecution. Yes. He asked for 3 million won a month, or pocket money, so I gave him cash, and what is it? I also sent it to his daughter's account, and there's insurance, you know."

Informants claimed that former chairman Kim embezzled while operating the marina and lacked the qualifications or ability to operate it.

Accordingly, it was reported that the Boseong-gun Sports Council had no choice but to file a complaint against former chairman Kim with the Boseong Police Station.

The investigation confirmed that former chairman Kim had not embezzled a single penny.

Chairman Kim Soon-seok expressed his unfairness, stating, "After receiving all the information from across the country, there was nothing. I didn't embezzle even 10,000 won."

Over the past two years, former chairman Kim Soon-seok has been accused more than 10 times and investigated by the Boseong Police Station, Yeosu Coast Guard, and Jeollanam-do Provincial Police Agency. He expressed his fatigue, stating that even though all investigations have shown no problems, he continues to be framed as a problematic person.

Chairman Kim Soon-seok lamented the current difficulties, saying, "I've been accused about 10 times by the Jeollanam-do Provincial Police Agency and others, and I've been investigated for close to two years, and it's been revealed that there are no problems, but even now, the county continues to talk and frame me as a problematic person, making it difficult for me to carry on."