Seoul City Council's Self-Contradictory Claims by Mayor Oh Se-hoon, Park Geun-hye-Style Thinking That Abolished the Coast Guard

Seoul Metropolitan Council Democratic Party Spokesperson Moon Jang-gil Criticizes Seoul City on 5th, Saying "Seoul City’s Absurd Double Standards Claim on Council’s Call to Improve Cooperation and Autonomy Projects Reveal Cognitive Limits, Asking 'Was It Right Then and Wrong Now?'"

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] When voices criticizing the Coast Guard’s improper response during the Sewol ferry disaster in May 2014 grew louder, former President Park Geun-hye announced a national address declaring the disbandment of the Coast Guard. On November 4, 2021, the Seoul Metropolitan Government recalled past criticisms from the Seoul Metropolitan Council regarding issues in some cooperative governance and autonomy projects, and issued an absurd press release claiming that ‘Democratic Party councilors are being self-contradictory with double standards.’ The cognitive levels of former President Park Geun-hye and Mayor Oh Se-hoon are astonishingly similar.

The Democratic Party of the Seoul Metropolitan Council (lead councilors Jo Sang-ho, Seodaemun 4) expressed strong regret over the absurd claim by the Seoul city spokesperson, who distorted the situation by selectively quoting meeting minutes as if Democratic Party councilors were unconditionally demanding the abolition of cooperative governance and autonomy projects. Spokesperson Moon Jang-gil stated in a commentary that this was an intentional provocation and political riot aimed at obstructing the Seoul Metropolitan Council’s official authority of administrative audits and budget reviews, issuing a stern warning.

He also pointed out that today’s behavior of the Seoul Metropolitan Government denies the legitimate and healthy function of checks and balances given to the council, which amounts to anti-democracy and anti-parliamentarianism, and is nothing more than a dangerously reckless political act by public officials.

As enumerated in the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s press release, the Democratic Party of the Seoul Metropolitan Council has been making relentless efforts since the tenure of the previous mayor to rectify budget waste and other issues in Seoul’s private consignment and private subsidy projects. The purpose is undoubtedly to improve problems arising during project processes and to seek the right policy direction for resident participation and public-private cooperation, thereby promoting the development and sustainability of democracy and local autonomy.

Following unauthorized intrusion and exit from the main assembly hall, mocking Seoul citizens with parachute and revolving-door personnel appointments, and throwing tantrums by ignoring administrative procedures and agreements for code appointments, the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s current behavior of distorting and misrepresenting the normal and healthy checks and balances of the council is utterly shocking to our party.

We ask Seoul Metropolitan Government: Was it right then but wrong now? Why has the Seoul Metropolitan Government turned a blind eye to the issues pointed out by the Democratic Party of the Seoul Metropolitan Council since the previous mayor’s tenure? How did the Seoul Metropolitan Government respond and what measures did it take to the numerous criticisms listed in today’s media? Why have issues that were once vehemently defended as non-problems suddenly become serious issues that must be excised? If the Seoul Metropolitan Government tries to evade responsibility by blaming the previous and current mayors, it must remember that it is admitting to a serious violation of political neutrality.

The Democratic Party of the Seoul Metropolitan Council earnestly suggests that Mayor Oh Se-hoon and the Seoul Metropolitan Government, who advocate bureaucratic governance instead of resident autonomy and cooperative governance and exaggerate some project mistakes to call for abolition, reflect deeply on whether they might be wearing Benjamin Button’s watch on their wrists, thus turning back the clock of democracy in the Republic of Korea.

Mayor Oh Se-hoon and the Seoul Metropolitan Government were criticized for arbitrarily and selectively excerpting official council records, the meeting minutes, as a means to evade civic criticism, thereby trampling on parliamentary democracy and ruthlessly ignoring citizens’ demands for cooperation and coexistence.

The Democratic Party of the Seoul Metropolitan Council today condemns the behavior of Mayor Oh Se-hoon and the Seoul Metropolitan Government as anti-democratic and anti-parliamentary violence. It will verify the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s responses and subsequent measures to all the criticisms listed with malicious intent in the press release, and will strictly hold them accountable for dereliction of duty and violation of political neutrality.

The Democratic Party of the Seoul Metropolitan Council strongly warns Mayor Oh Se-hoon and the Seoul Metropolitan Government to immediately cease their petty old-fashioned politics that deceive the Seoul Metropolitan Council, which represents the will of the ten million Seoul citizens, with political intentions and a low level of awareness.

Furthermore, it strongly urges once again that the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Mayor Oh Se-hoon immediately stop all attempts to return to administrative dictatorship by neutralizing the council’s oversight and checks and balances, and pledges before the ten million Seoul citizens to firmly counter all attempts to undermine civil society and resident autonomy.

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