Gijang-gun chief flags procedural flaws in island purchase, seeks audit

Gijang-gun chief Woo Sung-bin said Monday he had confirmed serious procedural flaws in the purchase of Jukdo island — an islet owned by the leader of a religious group — concluded under his predecessor, and announced he would request an investigation by the Board of Audit and Inspection.

Woo made the announcement at a press conference at the Busan City Council, where he also said the county would file a missing-persons report for the second-generation leader of Sinangchon, the original owner of Jukdo.

Woo, who heads the county's task force investigating suspected corruption and wasteful spending, said his probe found that the letter of intent to sell Jukdo — the starting point of the purchase contract — was signed on March 2, 2023, not by the island's original owner but by the chief executive of Sinangchon Food Co.

He said that before the sale contract was concluded, county officials never met the original owner in person or confirmed the owner's intent to sell through any other means, including phone or video calls, and that the contract was carried out entirely through an agent.

The county said several serious legal problems had been identified in the process, which it cited as the basis for requesting the audit.

Woo presented seven specific flaws at the press conference. The seller's power of attorney attached to the contract was missing the seller's identification; the seller's seal certificate attached to the contract was issued by proxy; and the power of attorney submitted for that proxy issuance was not in the seller's own hand but ghostwritten.

"A contract concluded without the original owner of Jukdo clearly expressing an intent to sell is wrong," Woo said. "Because 8.5 billion won ($6.27 million) in Gijang-gun taxpayer money was spent to buy Jukdo, we have no choice but to file a missing-persons report and request an audit in order to protect county assets."

Jukdo had long been off-limits to the public, managed as private property of the Cheonbugyo Sinangchon religious leader for many years. In September last year, under the previous county chief, Gijang-gun purchased the island — ranked among the top scenic spots in the county — for 8.5 billion won, with plans to develop it as a tourism resource.

Meanwhile, People Power Party lawmakers on the Gijang-gun council pushed back last month, holding their own press conference and calling the purchase "a normal project that went through the administration's review, appraisal and council deliberation." They accused Woo of mounting a "political offensive" with his allegations.