Seoul Jung-gu Public Officials Union Reports Jung-gu Mayor Seoyangho to Election Commission for Violation of Public Official Election Act

Public Officials Union Jung-gu Branch Reports Seo Yang-ho, Jung-gu Mayor, to Election Commission on 14th for Pre-Election Campaigning and Election Fraud

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] The Jung-gu branch of the National Public Officials Labor Union (Branch Chief Jang Kyung-hwan) reported (filed a complaint against) Seo Yang-ho, Mayor of Jung-gu, Seoul, to the Election Commission on the 14th for violating the Public Official Election Act, including pre-election campaigning and illegal election activities.

It is known that Mayor Seo repeatedly promoted his achievements and made remarks with re-election in mind at the 'Lifelong Learning Performance Sharing Meetings' held 15 times in total for residents from the end of last year until January 7 of this year.

According to the Public Official Election Act, anyone who conducts election campaigning before the official campaign period faces imprisonment for up to two years or a fine of up to 4 million won.

Since the nationwide simultaneous local elections are on June 1, election campaigning is only allowed from May 19 to May 31.

According to the Public Officials Labor Union, Mayor Seo Yang-ho started pre-election campaigning from the end of December last year, well before the official campaign period began.

Moreover, it has been revealed that there were instructions to identify and submit schedules of private meetings of local professional and various organizations, as well as directives to actively find events where the mayor could meet residents, causing a stir.

On December 21 last year, the mayor’s instructions to create schedules for performance sharing meetings and year-end gatherings by organization were delivered around 10:30 a.m. through the responsible department, and at 5 p.m. on the same day, the mayor convened the heads of each neighborhood and directly conveyed the instructions.

Instructions from the District Mayor Delivered to 15 Neighborhoods by the Responsible Department (2021.12.21.)

A week later, from December 28 to January 7, the 'Neighborhood Lifelong Learning Performance Sharing Meetings' were held in 15 neighborhoods over ten days.

The Public Officials Labor Union explained the background of filing a complaint against Mayor Seo for violating election laws, citing ▲ the fact that he personally ordered the event and it was held only within Jung-gu jurisdiction ▲ the event was hastily organized within a day despite never being held during his tenure from 2018 to 2020 ▲ the face-to-face events during the COVID-19 situation involved visiting one neighborhood 2 to 3 times a week to seek contact with residents.

Furthermore, even after the Public Officials Labor Union’s complaint for violating the Public Official Election Act, Mayor Seo reportedly continued to force participation and personnel schedules for various events such as the 'Neighborhood Learning Center Operation Committee,' 'Temporary Workers Safety Education,' and 'Small Library Participants Meetings,' according to the union.

In particular, the 'Temporary Workers Safety Education' held on the 16th at the Donghwa-dong auditorium targeted resident workers such as clean coordinators and civil service guides working at Hwanghak-dong, Sindang 5-dong, and Donghwa-dong community centers. The union reported that a resident from Hwanghak-dong who attended the training tested positive for COVID-19 on the day, causing controversy.

Recently, it has been reported that, based on the local community welfare council ordinance, 'Local Community Welfare Councils' composed of 10 to 20 resident committee members per neighborhood (dong) have been formed, raising suspicions that contact with residents is being sought.

The Election Commission has requested official documents from the 15 neighborhoods and some departments to review possible election law violations and is expected to begin a full investigation after the presidential election on March 9, drawing attention to the outcome.

In response, Jung-gu Office issued the following explanation.

1. Reason for Holding the Performance Sharing Meetings

The lifelong learning project is based on the Lifelong Learning Promotion Act. In March 2021, 17 district offices, including Jung-gu, were selected in Seoul’s lifelong learning project call for proposals for Neighborhood Learning Centers. A prerequisite for selection was the mandatory holding of performance sharing meetings and the formation of an operation committee. Therefore, the performance sharing meetings were held by all selected district offices, including Jung-gu, and were not extraordinary events held just before elections.

The lifelong learning performance sharing meetings were events reviewed by the responsible department through inquiries to the Election Commission and determined not to fall under the 180-day election period regulation. The audience was not unspecified residents but participants who had engaged in lifelong learning projects for one year.

The performance sharing meetings were promoted by the department head’s authority in accordance with Seoul city’s project standards, not by the mayor’s directive, and the mayor merely attended the events.

2. Regarding the Mayor’s Remarks at the Performance Sharing Meetings

The purpose of the remarks was not to promote achievements or announce pledges but to provide a general background explanation to enhance understanding of lifelong learning and to explain plans to carry out the previously stagnant lifelong learning projects with a long-term plan. The mayor’s responses to residents’ questions were minimal and courteous, and the overall remarks do not constitute promotion of achievements.

3. Regarding the Neighborhood Heads Meeting

Due to the spread of COVID-19, many inquiries were made to the secretariat from neighborhood heads and residents regarding scheduled events.

Therefore, the neighborhood administration department held a meeting with neighborhood heads to explain proper quarantine measures and legal event hosting that does not violate election laws. The intention was to request the mayor to attend only legal events that do not violate election laws, and since the mayor was a main participant in the events, he attended.

4. Background for Holding Events During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Among Seoul’s 25 autonomous districts, Jung-gu ranks first in vaccination rates, leading COVID-19 prevention efforts with twice as fast vaccinations at two centers: the National Medical Center and Jung-gu Vaccination Center. It holds the top position for first and second doses among seniors aged 75 and older and for first doses among all residents, with 70% of the population vaccinated.

The performance sharing meetings strictly adhered to quarantine guidelines, including limits on the number of attendees.

Moreover, just as election-related work is not the only work to be stopped during the election period, routine and legally mandated local government tasks and residents’ civil affairs must continue regularly. The lifelong learning performance sharing meetings were conducted in accordance with laws and Seoul city regulations.

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