Seoul launches audit over alleged preferential contracts

Jan 20, 2026, 08:16 am

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Kim Kyung, a Seoul city councilor under suspicion over illegal nomination donations, answers reporters’ questions before being questioned by police at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on Jan. 15. / Photo by Lee Byung-hwa

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has launched an internal audit into allegations that companies linked to the family of Seoul City Councilor Kim Kyung received preferential treatment in winning city contracts.

According to the city government on Monday, Mayor Oh Se-hoon instructed senior officials at a morning meeting to conduct a fact-finding review into the allegations.

The claims center on seven companies reportedly owned or operated by Kim’s family or relatives. The firms are alleged to have secured service contracts worth hundreds of billions of won through sole-source deals with city-affiliated agencies overseen by standing committees on which Kim served. The contracts were reportedly awarded between 2019 and June this year, raising suspicions that Kim may have leveraged his position to steer city projects to family-linked businesses.

Kim has served as a Seoul city councilor in the 10th and 11th councils since 2018.

At a regular briefing, city spokesperson Lee Min-kyung said the city would form an audit committee and consider filing complaints if wrongdoing is identified. She added that the city would actively cooperate with judicial authorities as the probe proceeds.

#Kim Kyung #Seoul City Council #Seoul Metropolitan Government #preferential contracts #family company