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(Seoul=Yonhap Infomax) Ji Seo Jeong – The Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) has confirmed instances of abuse of personnel and audit authority by Commissioner Yoo Byung-ho and has filed a criminal complaint with investigative authorities on charges including abuse of power.
Additionally, the BAI has referred seven individuals—including Yoo—who were involved in audits related to the killing of a South Korean civil servant in the West Sea and the inadequate verification of North Korea’s frontline Guard Posts (GP) deactivation, to prosecutors for alleged leaks of military secrets.
The BAI’s Operational Reform Task Force (TF) announced these findings regarding the abuse of authority and repeated military secret leaks on the 26th.
The BAI also noted that key individuals involved in the investigation were uncooperative or refused to assist the TF’s inquiry.
Retaliatory Personnel Actions and Atmosphere of Fear
Yoo Byung-ho, as Secretary General of the BAI under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, led multiple audits targeting the previous Moon Jae-in government.
Yoo has recently drawn public attention for openly expressing dissatisfaction with the BAI’s newly established Operational Reform TF and for a series of controversial actions.
According to the BAI, since Yoo’s appointment as Secretary General in June 2022, internal criticism has mounted over his unilateral personnel decisions—ignoring established regulations and procedures—resulting in a small group monopolizing promotions, transfers, bonuses, and overseas study opportunities.
In a survey conducted by the TF among BAI staff, over 60% of the 90 respondents expressed dissatisfaction with Yoo’s handling of personnel and audit matters.
Yoo recommended to the BAI Chairman that Employee A be subject to an audit, but when this was rejected, he claimed A was deleting audit materials and requested immediate personnel action.
However, after a five-month investigation, the TF found no evidence that A had deleted any audit materials.
The BAI concluded that Yoo’s unfounded report obstructed the Chairman’s legitimate exercise of audit and personnel authority.
Subsequently, Yoo ordered the immediate seizure of work PCs from five employees, including A, without explanation of any alleged misconduct, and directed the head of the Personnel Innovation Division—who had no grounds for disciplinary action—to be placed on standby, actions deemed retaliatory.
The affected employees reportedly suffered career disadvantages, such as delayed promotions and restrictions on honorable retirement, as well as psychological distress.
Furthermore, since taking office, Yoo has taken personnel actions against staff who did not comply with his directives and repeatedly issued warning-laden instructions, fostering an environment where his orders could not be challenged.
The BAI has filed a criminal complaint against Yoo for obstruction of official duties by fraudulent means and abuse of authority.
Repeated Leaks of Military Secrets During West Sea and GP Audits
During the October 2022 audit of the West Sea civil servant killing, the BAI distributed related information to the media, drawing criticism for leaking military secrets.
At the time, the Democratic Party of Korea filed a complaint with the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) against the BAI Chairman and Secretary General for violating the Military Secrets Protection Act.
Although the BAI later decided to keep the audit results confidential to prevent further leaks, it again distributed a press release on the findings in December of that year.
Under the Military Secrets Protection Act, military secrets may only be disclosed to the public after review by the Ministry of National Defense’s Security Review Committee.
However, according to the TF, the audit leadership leaked military secrets twice, despite opposition from audit commissioners and without undergoing the required security review.
During the investigation, the responsible staff claimed that the Ministry of National Defense had reviewed the information and deemed it suitable for media release, but the TF confirmed with both the Ministry and the Joint Chiefs of Staff that no such review had occurred.
The BAI stated, “Prosecutors also requested a review from the Ministry of National Defense before disclosing the West Sea case investigation results, but the disclosure was denied and did not proceed.”
The Operational Reform TF also reviewed a similar case involving the GP audit.
The GP audit, conducted in March, examined allegations that the Moon Jae-in administration’s verification of North Korea’s destruction of frontline GPs under the September 19, 2018 inter-Korean military agreement was inadequate.
During the GP audit, Director C, a close associate of Yoo, recommended an interim announcement of the investigation request, but the BAI Chairman instructed otherwise, and the announcement was canceled.
Nevertheless, Yoo prepared a separate document advocating for a press release, and Director C instructed staff to draft the release, which was then exclusively reported by a specific media outlet.
The BAI noted, “The unofficial press release and the exclusive report by the media outlet shared a 94% similarity, and the article included multiple items classified as Military Secret Level II from the BAI’s investigation request.”
The Operational Reform TF, which is working to restore public trust, plans to announce comprehensive institutional improvement measures in early next month.
jsjeong@yna.co.kr
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