Since the Inauguration of Seoul Metropolitan Council... Leadership Wounds Between Chair Kim In-ho and Floor Leader Cho Sang-ho

The Democratic Party to Hold a Parliamentary Meeting at 10 AM on the 14th to Elect Late 10th Standing Committee Chair Candidates, Including Transportation Chair Woo Hyung-chan and Urban Planning Chair Kim Hee-geol from Yangcheon-gu, Planning and Economy Chair Chae In-mook and Education Chair Choi Ki-chan from Geumcheon-gu, Administrative Autonomy Chair Lee Hyun-chan, and Urban Safety and Construction Chair Sung Heum-je; Criticism Arises Over "Are Representatives from Specific Regions Taking All Positions?" Causing Chaos in the Meeting Room

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] The latter half of the 10th Seoul Metropolitan Council has drawn attention due to its rocky start.

The Seoul Metropolitan Council (Chairman Kim In-ho) held a Democratic Party of Korea members' meeting from 10 a.m. on the 14th to elect standing committee chairpersons for the second half of the 10th council term.

However, criticism has been mounting as council members from specific districts (Yangcheon-gu, Geumcheon-gu, Eunpyeong-gu) were nominated as candidates for chairpersons of the Transportation Committee, Urban Planning and Management Committee, Planning and Economy Committee, Education Committee, and Administration and Autonomy Committee / Urban Safety and Construction Committee.

Due to opposition from council members, the election results seemed contentious, with Transportation Committee Chairperson Woo Hyung-chan receiving 82 votes out of 98, while Councilor Jeong Ji-kwon received 7 votes, indicating many rebel votes.

In particular, Chairperson Woo Hyung-chan, who has served on the Transportation Committee for six years during the 9th four-year term and the first two years of the 10th term, reportedly had little communication with fellow members, raising concerns about the smooth operation of the Transportation Committee.

Democratic Party-affiliated Seoul council members raised their voices in the members' meeting, questioning, "Is it reasonable that council members from specific districts are nominated for the so-called popular positions of chairpersons of the Transportation Committee and Urban Planning and Management Committee, as well as candidates for Planning and Economy Committee and Education Committee chairpersons?"

Additionally, Councilor Chae In-mook from Geumcheon-gu was nominated as a candidate for Planning and Economy Committee chairperson, and Councilor Choi Ki-chan as a candidate for Education Committee chairperson, causing a stir. Education Committee Chairperson candidate Choi Ki-chan received the lowest votes, 78 out of 98.

From Eunpyeong-gu, Lee Hyun-chan received 93 votes for Administration and Autonomy Committee chairperson, and Seong Heum-je received 91 votes for Urban Safety and Construction Committee chairperson.

It is widely analyzed that these nominations were orchestrated by Floor Leader Cho Sang-ho, and backlash against him is expected to grow after the election.

From the Seoul Metropolitan Council chairperson election, when candidates Choi Woong-sik from Yeongdeungpo-gu for chairperson and Kim Jeong-tae for Council Operations Committee chairperson were preselected, internal criticism arose questioning, "Are both the chairperson and operations committee chairperson positions monopolized by one district?" This led to an unexpected upset where Kim In-ho from Dongdaemun-gu defeated candidate Choi by a margin of 15 votes.

The fact that Democratic Party members raised issues about these two committee chairperson candidates on this day is interpreted as these two committees being more popular than other standing committees.

Democratic Party members hold Floor Leader Cho Sang-ho and Chairman Kim In-ho largely responsible for these nominations.

Accordingly, attention is focused on whether the council can be properly managed going forward, as the leadership of Chairman Kim and Floor Leader Cho may suffer significant damage even after the committee organization.

A Seoul council member criticized, "For reasons unknown, Floor Leader Cho Sang-ho disrupted the entire process by pushing Councilor Choi Ki-chan as the Education Committee chairperson candidate."

Especially with the sudden death of the late Mayor Park Won-soon, and Seo Jeong-hyeop, the first deputy mayor, acting as mayor, the leadership of Seoul Metropolitan Council Chairman Kim In-ho is more crucial than ever, drawing further attention.

Meanwhile, on this day, candidates were elected for the following positions: Lee Hyun-chan for Administration and Autonomy Committee chairperson, Chae In-mook for Planning and Economy Committee chairperson, Kim Jeong-hwan for Environment and Water Resources Committee chairperson, Hwang Gyu-bok for Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee chairperson, Lee Young-sil for Health and Welfare Committee chairperson, Seong Heum-je for Urban Safety and Construction Committee chairperson, Kim Hee-geol for Urban Planning and Management Committee chairperson, Woo Hyung-chan for Transportation Committee chairperson, and Choi Ki-chan for Education Committee chairperson.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.