An anonymous complaint letter, presumed to be written by an internal employee, has been sent to the team leaders and managers of the North Jeolla Provincial Office of Education, stirring controversy over the issue of integrity within the office. The North Jeolla branch of the Korean Government Employees' Union has released an official notice on its website to receive reports on this matter.

The complaint letter begins by referring to the superintendent's previous statement at a staff meeting that "a clean organizational culture is something that all employees create together." The author questions, "Is it really the fault of each individual employee that the level of integrity is low?" and lists specific examples of unfair directives, budget allocation practices, and favoritism towards certain companies that are openly taking place within the education office.

The author points out, "Hasn't anyone heard that a contractor will call the education office to apply for a budget when they enter a school?" and criticizes the hypocrisy of the organizational culture that outwardly advocates for integrity but tacitly condones corruption. The author adds, "If the integrity score is high in such a situation, it means that the employees are rotten."

The author also asks, "Are those who preach integrity really upright themselves?" and admits, "The low level of integrity is the fault of all of us, including myself, who have done nothing." The author emphasizes the need for change, stating, "We should now be able to say 'that's not right' to team leaders, managers, directors, and superintendents," and expresses a determination to work without shame.

The North Jeolla branch of the Korean Government Employees' Union is receiving reports on various corrupt practices such as forced business operations, designation of specific companies, unnecessary budget execution, personnel requests, and backdoor deals. The notice on the website states, "Silence in the face of known corruption is complicity in crime," and assures that the identity of the informant will not be disclosed.

A union official said, "We are receiving reports in the hope that people will not struggle alone but work together," and promised to actively protect whistleblowers for the public interest.

Meanwhile, the North Jeolla Education Newspaper previously pointed out the lack of transparency in the budget execution and project selection process in various facility projects promoted by the education office in an article titled "North Jeolla Office of Education, 3rd Grade in Integrity... How to Overcome the Lower Ranks in Perception." Criticism was raised that the official procedures between schools, education support offices, and provincial education offices were ignored in the budget allocation process, and that the method of requesting through politicians was prioritized. Some principals reported this issue, revealing the situation.

The newspaper also received reports of incidents similar to those mentioned in the anonymous complaint letter. The principal of a middle school located in North Jeolla Province testified that a contractor visited the school, flaunting his close relationship with a department in the education office, and offered to secure the necessary budget for the school, but only if the school signed a contract with him. However, the principal decided not to proceed with this, judging it to be inappropriate.

It remains to be seen whether the anonymous complaint letter and the union's reporting activities will lead to actual improvements in the organizational culture.