[비즈한국] An employee of Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC) stirred controversy last year by stealing query documents from the office of former Democratic Party lawmaker Shin Young-dae ahead of the National Assembly audit. The IIAC audit office subsequently launched an investigation into the matter and concluded it late last year. According to an audit report obtained by Biz Hankook, the audit office requested that the company impose major disciplinary action against the employee. IIAC has not disclosed specific details regarding the disciplinary measures.
The IIAC employee, identified as Mr. A, stole query documents from former lawmaker Shin Young-dae's office ahead of the National Assembly audit last October. Once the facts came to light, the National Assembly criticized IIAC. During the parliamentary audit by the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee last year, former lawmaker Shin stated, "This is an act of theft and amounts to obstruction of a lawmaker's duties," adding, "I believe this requires discipline equivalent to dismissal, not just a warning or caution."
On the same day, Democratic Party lawmaker Han Jun-ho also pointed out, "I view this as an act where an employee of a government-audited agency disrupted parliamentary order and obstructed the state audit." In response, Lee Hak-jae, President of Incheon International Airport Corporation, replied, "I consider this a serious matter and will investigate and take action in accordance with procedures."
The IIAC audit office then initiated an investigation into Mr. A. According to the audit report obtained by Biz Hankook, the audit office requested that the company impose major disciplinary action against him. Under the detailed enforcement regulations of the IIAC personnel rules, disciplinary actions are categorized as dismissal, removal from office, suspension, pay reduction, and reprimand. Among these, dismissal, removal from office, and suspension are classified as major disciplinary actions, while pay reduction and reprimand are classified as minor.
Mr. A began his career as an intern at the National Assembly Secretariat in 2004 and worked in a total of seven lawmakers' offices for about 15 years. He was appointed as IIAC's National Assembly liaison officer in 2020 and began his tenure. His duties involved facilitating smooth cooperation between the National Assembly and Incheon International Airport Corporation.
According to the audit report, Mr. A visited former lawmaker Shin Young-dae's office on October 26 of last year, the day before the audit, and removed the query documents. When Shin's office questioned Mr. A about the unauthorized removal, he denied it. However, on the following day, October 27, Mr. A admitted to the removal and returned the documents on October 28. Since the IIAC audit took place on October 27, the documents were returned only after the audit was concluded.
The investigation confirmed that while Mr. A had removed the documents without permission, there was no evidence that he actively utilized or shared them externally afterward. However, it was confirmed that Mr. A provided evasive answers to inquiries from Shin's office and only admitted to the act on the day of the audit. Mr. A explained that it was a momentary lapse in judgment due to excessive zeal. He also stated that he did not remove the documents under orders from superiors but did so based on his own judgment.
The audit office defined Mr. A's actions as a violation of the duty of sincerity and obedience under the IIAC personnel rules, as well as an act that damaged his dignity, disrupted internal order, and tarnished the reputation of the corporation. The audit office explained that because Mr. A did not provide truthful answers regarding the leak, it led to questions during the parliamentary audit, and the subsequent media coverage damaged the social reputation of the corporation.
The audit office stated in the report, "This constitutes grounds for disciplinary action under the personnel rules," and added, "Given the gravity of the misconduct, the gross negligence, and the partial intent, a major disciplinary action is required pursuant to Article 70, Paragraph 1 of the detailed enforcement regulations of the personnel rules." Article 70, Paragraph 1 specifies that "the Personnel Committee shall deliberate and decide on disciplinary action in accordance with disciplinary standards by considering the type and degree of misconduct, severity of negligence, past conduct, work performance, and contributions." However, IIAC has not announced an official stance regarding the final decision on the punishment for Mr. A.