Rep. Han Byung-do Calls for Probe into Oh Se-hun over Alleged Cover-up of Han River Bus Scandal
Han Byung-do, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, urged on the 16th at the Busan chapter's supreme council meeting that "the truth must be uncovered through an independent investigation" regarding the alleged cover-up of irregularities involving the Han River Bus, which came to light during the National Assembly audit of the Seoul Metropolitan Government. The Han River Bus is a water bus operated by the city of Seoul to improve access to the Han River, while the parliamentary audit is an activity in which the National Assembly reviews the work of government agencies. The audit provided the first clue to the allegations. At the Seoul city government audit the previous day (the 15th), Democratic Party Rep. Park Ju-min claimed that a broker's involvement was detected in the flow of funds paid to the Han River Bus manufacturer, and that some of that money may have gone to a senior executive of the Seoul Housing & Communities Corporation (SH).
Floor leader Han pointed out that if the alleged cover-up of the Han River Bus irregularities is confirmed to be true, it would amount to a "Han River Bus gate" — an attempt to sweep the misconduct under the rug — and said it must be revealed who halted the request for an investigation and for what reason, and who ordered the destruction of investigation materials. He emphasized that a full investigation must uncover the details of the irregularity allegations and the contractor selection process, as well as determine through investigation whether Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hun himself was involved.
The Han River Bus was initially touted as "the people's feet," but it has effectively been operated as a tourist cruise ship, sparking controversy over poor management of the project. Floor leader Han noted that with allegations raised that an internal audit into suspected kickbacks was swept aside, the focus of the controversy has shifted from mismanagement to a cover-up. He said, "It must be thoroughly revealed whether the Han River Bus, which promised to become the people's feet, became a means of lining someone's pockets."
Mayor Oh Se-hun previously explained that he had first pushed for an audit by the Board of Audit and Inspection. In response, Floor leader Han countered, "That alone cannot deflect all of the allegations currently raised."
On the 16th, Democratic Party lawmakers on the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee held a press conference at the National Assembly communications hall, calling for key figures connected to the Han River Bus kickback allegations to be summoned as witnesses or reference persons at the parliamentary audit on the 19th.
