Geochang County Council Budget Committee Denies Viewing Rights for 'Locally High-Interest Issue'... Strong Opposition from Civic Groups

"Explanation: Meeting Room Too Small Due to Many Attending Officials"

Geochang County Council Overview

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Soon-kyung] The Geochang County Council in Gyeongnam is facing strong backlash from civic groups after restricting citizens' attendance at a budget meeting, a matter of intense local interest, citing the limited space as the reason.

On the 10th, the Geochang County Council held the 2nd Budget and Accounts Special Committee meeting of the 253rd regular session (Chairperson Kim Hyang-ran) and did not allow members of civic groups such as Geochang YMCA to attend. The budget committee was scheduled to discuss the budget related to the recent hot issue in the local community, the trademark transfer of the Geochang International Theater Festival.

The budget committee rejected the request for attendance from civic groups, stating, "Due to the large number of officials attending under the chairperson's name, the meeting room is small, making attendance difficult."

The council's meeting rules restrict attendance for people carrying weapons or dangerous items, intoxicated individuals, or those deemed suspicious or likely to disrupt order. It also stipulates that attendance can be limited for those holding attendance rights if it is necessary to maintain order or if there is no space available in the audience seats.

In response, civic groups, after inspecting the meeting room, claimed there was sufficient space for 2 to 3 attendees but the county council deliberately restricted attendance, sparking protests.

Hong Jeong-hee, Citizen Business Committee Chairperson of Geochang YMCA, said, "This restriction on attendance by the council is an act of ignoring residents' right to participate," and added, "We will collect related materials and respond legally while conducting coverage."

Jung Kwang-hee, Secretary-General of the Korean Federation of Artistic and Cultural Organizations, also stated, "After checking the meeting room, it was not small at all," and argued, "It is the council's responsibility for not providing sufficient space for residents' attendance, and this cannot be grounds for restricting attendance rights."

The Geochang YMCA Citizen Business Committee plans to receive and analyze materials from Geochang County regarding the number of seats in the budget committee meeting room and video footage of the seating at the time, and then proceed with legal action.

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