Sangju City Council Cuts Chairman's Business Expenses 'Entirely'... Council Members Engage in Emotional Conflict

Emotional Resentment During June Speaker Re-election Process
Speaker Jeong Jaehyeon: "If No Teeth, Then Gums Will Do"

Jae-Hyun Jeong, Chairman of Sangju City Council, presiding over the plenary session.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongwook Park] The Sangju City Council in Gyeongbuk, which experienced internal strife during the chairman election process, has cut the entire budget for the chairman's office expenses for next year, showing signs of an emotional conflict.

According to the Sangju City Council on the 14th, during the budget review process for next year at the 204th regular meeting held on the 11th, all office expenses submitted by Sangju City, including those for Chairman Jeong Jae-hyun (28.92 million KRW) and Vice Chairman Lim Bu-gi (13.8 million KRW), were completely cut.

It is an unprecedented and exceptional measure nationwide for a local council to cut the office expenses of the chairman and vice chairman entirely without leaving a single won.

The full cut of the chairman's office expenses on that day was led by members of the People Power Party among the 17 council members. The Sangju City Council is composed of 13 members from the People Power Party, 3 from the Democratic Party, and 1 independent.

People Power Party members had internally nominated Councilor Ahn Chang-su as the second half chairman at the end of June, but Chairman Jeong Jae-hyun ran again against the party line and was elected.

Subsequently, the council passed a no-confidence motion against Chairman Jeong with 10 votes in favor, and Chairman Jeong staged a scene by returning to the chairman position after 16 days due to a court's 'suspension of resolution effect' order.

The People Power Party members who led the no-confidence motion apologized for this conflict at a press conference on October 12, but due to the recent full cut of office expenses, concerns remain that the power struggle between council members and the chairman will continue for some time.

As a result of this measure, Chairman Jeong and Vice Chairman Lim are now in a position where they must pay out of pocket for official business trips as well as usual guest receptions and encouragement events.

Chairman Jeong Jae-hyun conveyed in a phone interview with local media, "If there is no tooth, I will use the gums instead. I will not neglect my duties even a bit."

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