Anchor: President Yoon Suk Yeol ordered his office to look into solar panel projects with suspected cases of irregularities on Wednesday. The instruction was issued in light of a request by the state audit agency that the prosecution investigate inconsistencies in a range of renewable energy projects during the Moon Jae-in administration on Tuesday.
Choi You Sun reports.  

Report: President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday ordered a thorough investigation into the decision-making process in solar panel projects under the previous government following the state audit agency's detection of irregularities.

According to presidential spokesperson Lee Do-woon, Yoon handed down the order to the presidential secretary for public office discipline a day after the Board of Audit and Inspection(BAI) released the tentative results of an audit on renewable energy projects.

On Tuesday, the BAI announced the initial findings of its five-month audit, requesting the prosecution to investigate alleged corruption by 13 public officials involved in a number of renewable energy projects, a part of the Moon government's key policy agenda.

The allegations include suspected collusion between a private firm and energy ministry officials to change a land use designation for the advancement of a 300-megawatt solar panel project in the central Chungcheong Province county of Taean.

Mayor Kang Im-joon of Gunsan, North Jeolla Province is accused of giving preferential treatment to a firm headed by his high school alumnus during a bid for a 99-megawatt solar panel project in October 2020.

A presidential official said the investigation would scrutinize the project's decision-making process and individuals involved in connection to the alleged irregularities, adding that the secretariat would probe areas yet to be verified by the audit agency.

The official said that the outcome could result in a request for disciplinary action against those responsible, while illegalities may lead to a criminal investigation.

The BAI is currently conducting an additional audit of 250 public officials for moonlighting in solar panel businesses without authorization.

The Office for Government Policy Coordination, expected to announce the outcome of its audit into the use of the electric power industry fund this month, earlier found that 260 billion won was unjustifiably given out, mostly toward the solar panel project.
Choi You Sun, KBS World Radio News.