7.3 Billion Won in Taxpayer Money Already Paid... Daejeon on High Alert Over "Near-Bankruptcy" of Supplier

[Anchor]

The delivery of three-section articulated buses, a project for which the city of Daejeon has invested 18.5 billion won, is facing delays. It has been confirmed that the import agency, which received 7.3 billion won in advance from the city for the vehicles, is effectively on the verge of bankruptcy.

TJB reporter Jeon Yu-jin reports.

[Reporter]

The three-section articulated vehicles that the city of Daejeon is pushing to introduce.

Of the three vehicles ordered, only one has arrived in Daejeon so far.

The remaining two have finished production but remain at a factory in China.

This is because Company A, the import agency responsible for bringing the vehicles into the country and delivering them to Daejeon, is effectively on the verge of bankruptcy.

This is the latest consolidated audit report of Company A obtained by our reporting team.

The accounting firm issued a "disclaimer of opinion," citing severe financial distress and uncertainty.

Company A fell into a state of complete capital impairment, posting an operating loss of 63.9 billion won last year alone.

The problem is that 7.3 billion won of Daejeon citizens' tax money was paid in advance.

There are growing concerns that if the company's bankruptcy becomes a reality, the tax money could vanish into thin air.

This is not the first time a controversy has arisen over delivery delays for publicly ordered vehicles.

During the so-called "Dawonsys incident," a company that received advance payments from railway-related agencies indefinitely delayed the delivery of hundreds of electric trains, sparking controversy.

At the time, during a Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport briefing, President Lee Jae-myung strongly criticized the issue of excessive advance payments.

Daejeon City and the Daejeon Transportation Corporation went even further by paying an 80% advance, and concerns are mounting as Company A is merely an import agency, unlike Dawonsys, which manufactured the trains domestically.

In response, Company A explained that the delivery schedule is delayed due to the postponement of domestic certification procedures, regardless of the company's financial situation.

With 7.3 billion won of citizens' tax money already paid as an advance, the city of Daejeon's response is now being put to the test.

(Video reporting: Kim Sung-soo, TJB)

Reported by Jeon Yu-jin, TJB
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.