Seoul Jung-gu Council and Jung-gu Mayor Conflict Escalates... "Immediate Withdrawal of Refusal to Administrative Investigation Special Committee"

Members of Jung-gu Council Administrative Investigation Special Committee Hold Press Conference at 11 AM on the 28th and Issue Statement: "Jung-gu Mayor Must Immediately Withdraw Actions Refusing the Administrative Investigation Special Committee"

From the left, Committee Member Go Mun-sik, Committee Member Gil Ki-young, Committee Member Lee Hwa-mook, Chairman Lee Seung-yong, Committee Member Kim Haeng-seon, and Committee Member Park Young-han are holding a banner and protesting in the main chamber of Jung-gu Council.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] The Seoul Jung-gu Council and Jung-gu Mayor Seoyangho are once again in conflict.

Members of the Seoul Jung-gu Council Administrative Investigation Special Committee (Chairman Seungyong Lee) held a press conference in front of Jung-gu Office at 11 a.m. on the 28th and issued a statement.

Earlier that day at 10 a.m., the committee held its 4th administrative investigation special meeting and adopted the statement.

Following reports last month by some media outlets on the ‘unfair disciplinary action against Jung-gu Office employees,’ continuous complaints from the local community have demanded clear truth. In response, the Jung-gu Council formed the Administrative Investigation Special Committee on October 5 and began the investigation.

As of October 28, the investigation committee is in its 4th session, but Jung-gu Office is refusing to cooperate citing Article 45 of the Local Autonomy Act Enforcement Decree.

Chairman Seungyong Lee, along with members Munsik Ko, Younghan Park, Kiyoung Gil, Hwamuk Lee, and Haengsun Kim, stated in the declaration, “On behalf of the residents of Jung-gu, we firmly demand the Jung-gu Mayor to stop actions that undermine the administrative investigation and increase suspicions in the local community. The Jung-gu Mayor must actively cooperate with the lawfully conducted administrative investigation, immediately cease the undermining of grassroots local councils, and apologize to the residents in an official setting.”

The committee members warned that if the above demands are not met, they will enter an indefinite struggle to protect the rights of local residents.

■ Full Statement

Jung-gu Mayor Must Immediately Withdraw the Refusal to Cooperate with the Administrative Investigation Special Committee

The SBS exclusive report titled 『“Go out every day to check and harass” Suspicious orders from the Mayor of Jung-gu Office』 was broadcast on September 26, 2021, and it has already been a month since the local residents were informed. Immediately, the Jung-gu Council formed the Administrative Investigation Special Committee to verify the facts and clarify the situation.

Since the start of the Administrative Investigation Special Committee activities on October 5, 2021, through the 2nd session on October 14, the 3rd session on October 21, and the 4th session today, October 28, 2021, Jung-gu Office has refused any cooperation and unilaterally rejected the committee’s activities. After consultation with the committee members, we regretfully issue this statement.

The administrative investigation was established pursuant to Article 41 of the Local Autonomy Act and the Ordinance on Administrative Audit and Investigation of the Seoul Metropolitan City Jung-gu Council.

It is a precious authority granted to the Jung-gu Council by the Local Autonomy Act and the residents, and it is being conducted through lawful, transparent, and democratic procedures.

The Administrative Investigation Special Committee is working hard to resolve the suspicions held by many local residents, clarify transparent facts, and aim for prevention of recurrence and preparation of countermeasures for proper standards and transparent administration.

This is not the first time the council’s investigative and audit rights have been infringed. In the 2019 administrative audit, Jung-gu Office also unilaterally rejected the administrative investigation without any explanation despite the council’s requests for documents and attendance.

At that time, the Jung-gu Council demanded fines and administrative corrective actions against responsible parties at Jung-gu Office, but these demands were not accepted, resulting in an unprecedented situation where the council’s administrative audit authority granted by the residents was nullified.

This time, Jung-gu Office is again refusing the administrative investigation, using the interpretation of Article 45 of the Local Autonomy Act Enforcement Decree as an excuse. The logic for refusing the administrative investigation is unclear, lacks any validity, and cannot be seen as serving the public interest in any way.

We recommend that the Jung-gu Mayor correct the autocratic administrative practices that ignore the status and authority of the Jung-gu Council as the representative body of Jung-gu residents and lead to conflict and confrontation.

On behalf of the residents of Jung-gu, members of the Administrative Investigation Special Committee Seungyong Lee, Haengsun Kim, Younghan Park, Kiyoung Gil, Munsik Ko, and Hwamuk Lee firmly demand the following from the Jung-gu Mayor regarding actions that undermine the administrative investigation and increase suspicions in the local community.

1. The Jung-gu Mayor must actively cooperate with the lawfully conducted administrative investigation. Cooperate, cooperate, cooperate.

2. The Jung-gu Mayor must immediately stop undermining grassroots local councils and apologize to the residents of Jung-gu in an official setting. Apologize, apologize, apologize.

If these demands are not met, the Jung-gu Council announces it will enter an indefinite struggle to protect the rights of local residents.

Local autonomy is a system designed to prevent the concentration of power in one person and to activate grassroots democracy. Tomorrow is the Local Autonomy Day created to remember this.

To ensure that local autonomy and democracy, which are developing with the hopes and aspirations of residents, are not frustrated, everyone gathered here today will do their best until the end.

October 28, 2021

Members of the Seoul Metropolitan City Jung-gu Council Administrative Investigation Special Committee

Seungyong Lee, Haengsun Kim, Younghan Park, Kiyoung Gil, Munsik Ko, Hwamuk Lee

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