Jeonnam Provincial Assembly Members Suspected of Drinking Gatherings During National Mourning Period for Itaewon Tragedy

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Jun-kyung] Allegations have been raised that Jeonnam Provincial Assembly members held a drinking party during the national mourning period for the ‘Itaewon tragedy.’

According to members of the Economic, Tourism, and Culture Committee of the Jeonnam Provincial Assembly on the 2nd, eight committee members and three staff members from the Assembly Secretariat had dinner around 6:30 p.m. the previous day at a restaurant in Mokpo City after completing an administrative audit.

At the dinner, bottles of soju and beer were placed on the table, and an internet reporter who witnessed this entered the restaurant and began filming the scene with a mobile phone.

During this process, some assembly members and reporter A got into a physical altercation involving breaking bottles, and assembly member B snatched the reporter’s phone to prevent filming and fled outside the restaurant.

An enraged reporter A posted on their Facebook, “An assembly member forcibly took the phone of a reporter covering the scene and ran away,” but later deleted the post.

Chairman Gyeonggwan Lee Cheol said, “The restaurant had customarily placed soju and beer on the table, but no assembly members drank alcohol. It seems the reporter misunderstood and thought alcohol was consumed,” adding, “The members were very startled by the sudden filming with a mobile phone and responded poorly.”

In response, reporter A criticized, “Chairman Lee Cheol was not present at the drinking party during the coverage and appeared later,” and said, “His statement to the media that ‘no alcohol was consumed and that intoxicated reporting is inappropriate’ is misleading the facts.”

A Jeonnam Provincial Assembly official stated, “We sincerely apologize for disappointing the residents due to inadequate response during this sensitive time following the Itaewon tragedy,” and added, “We will do our best for the residents to prevent any unfortunate incidents in the future.”

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