Wanju County Council Chairman Kim Jaecheon Sparks Controversy with "No Objections in Plenary Session" Statement

Bonhoeui passes original proposal without objection agenda or voting procedure

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Tae-in] On the 11th, during the 2nd plenary session of the 254th extraordinary meeting of the Wanju County Council, criticism arose over Chairman Kim Jae-cheon's remarks, calling them excessive.

At the extraordinary meeting held that day, Chairman Kim stated, “I will not accept objections in the plenary session regarding agenda items that have been approved and submitted by the standing committee.” He forcibly approved the original draft of the ordinance submitted to the plenary session without a proper voting procedure despite objections from council members.

In response, local political circles commented that this seriously undermined the rights of council members and the spirit of democracy that the council should uphold, and that the chairman’s behavior showed a lack of understanding of meeting procedures and laws.

Article 112 of the National Assembly Act and Article 47 of the Wanju County Council Meeting Rules stipulate that “if there is an objection, a vote must be held.”

On that day, the Wanju County Council submitted the 「Ordinance on Support for the Wanju County Veterans Association」, which mainly concerns the provision of subsidies to the Veterans Association, a group of retired police officers.

Council member Jeong Jong-yoon questioned, “The Veterans Association openly declares itself as an organization for camaraderie and unity among members of a specific group both internally and externally.” He asked, “What is the reason for creating an ordinance for the county to take the initiative in providing subsidies to an organization with no precedent of contributing to Wanju County?”

He also pointed out that if such preferential support ordinances are codified, similar organizations such as the Veterans Association, the Veterans Firefighters Association, the Customs Officers Association, the National Tax Officers Association, and the Correctional Officers Association would have no grounds to refuse requests for support.

According to Council member Jeong, a similar issue occurred during the Wanju County Council’s Autonomous Administration Standing Committee meeting held on the 3rd. During the debate on the ordinance, the committee chairman also proceeded with a vote on his own authority.

Council member Jeong emphasized, “Differences of opinion among council members on policies can exist. However, the process of consulting and reaching consensus through debate is the value that the council should uphold and pursue.” He added, “Ignoring objections in both the standing committee and the plenary session is a serious issue that undermines democratic procedures.”

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