Gwangju Mayor Lee Yong-seop Urges "Take Ownership and Engage in City Administration"

Emphasis at the First In-Person Regular Meeting in 7 Months

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Lee Yong-seop, Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, urged employees to have a ‘sense of ownership’ and to engage in city administration accordingly.

According to Gwangju Metropolitan City on the 2nd, Mayor Lee made this statement during the regular June assembly held that day.

Gwangju held an in-person assembly while strictly adhering to quarantine rules, seven months after temporarily suspending regular assemblies due to the COVID-19 situation.

At the event, Mayor Lee began by noting that a series of absurd incidents that should not have happened recently have occurred.

He said, “On the 28th of last month, a young middle school student (14 years old) was mistakenly vaccinated against COVID-19 due to a medical staff error, and a month earlier on April 28, an elderly person in their 80s received a second vaccine dose and then was vaccinated again just 28 minutes later. Additionally, allegations have been raised that an employee of a city-run welfare center for the disabled sexually assaulted a disabled facility user, prompting a police investigation. Furthermore, conflicts between the representative, employees, and labor union at the Gwangju Biennale Foundation have deepened regarding its operation,” he explained.

He continued, “There must be no errors or mistakes in COVID-19 vaccinations,” urging, “Please conduct more thorough on-site management and supervision.”

He also requested, “The responsible departments should re-examine and supplement the vaccination manual to prevent recurrence of such accidents,” and emphasized, “District mayors should accurately convey the manual to each health center and local private medical institutions involved in vaccination sites and take appropriate measures regarding any accidents occurring at vaccination sites.”

Regarding the sexual assault allegations involving a disabled person, he stated, “It is extremely shameful that such allegations have been raised in Gwangju, a city of human rights,” and added, “The responsible departments must ensure the safety and protection of the parties involved during the investigation process to prevent secondary damage, and based on the investigation results, clearly hold the relevant employee and welfare center accountable.”

He also addressed the internal conflict occurring at the Gwangju Biennale.

Mayor Lee said, “It is truly uninnovative and regrettable. At a time when executives and employees should unite and devote their utmost efforts to an international event, causing division and conflict is unacceptable,” and requested, “Do not rely solely on external investigations; the Vice Mayor for Culture and Economy should directly step in to understand the situation and take responsible measures.”

Additionally, he asked for full efforts to ensure the successful establishment of the Gwangju Public Delivery App, which will be officially launched next month as a representative local livelihood platform.

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