Why Did Kim Bu-young, Changnyeong County Governor, Choose an Extreme Option?

Say You Are Under Extreme Stress Around You

Employees of Changnyeong Police Station in Gyeongnam are watching as the body of County Governor Kim Bu-young is carried down on a stretcher. / Photo by Kim Wook assa113@

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Wook] Kim Bu-young, the governor of Changnyeong County, Gyeongnam, made an extreme choice. After being investigated by the Anti-Corruption Investigation Unit of the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency last November for election law violations such as 'candidate bribery charges' and 'providing money or valuables,' Governor Kim expressed confidence at a county office executive meeting by mentioning '99.9% no charges' and saying, "I slept with my legs stretched out for the first time in a long while."

Despite the prosecution announcements by the police and prosecutors, Governor Kim attended various large and small events at the town and township levels, sang songs, and outwardly led an ordinary life as a governor, even ignoring the first trial date of the first instance in December last year to visit Japan.

However, at the regular personnel reshuffle at the end of December last year, Governor Kim made a special appointment of Mr. A, who is the same age and a former member of the 9th Gyeongnam Provincial Council, as a 'Grade 5 Planning and Audit Officer' with a minimum annual salary of 50 million won, and effectively 'demoted' the director of the Agricultural Technology Center, who had been appointed less than six months ago, to a frontline section chief. These personnel moves drew criticism to the extent that even those who had supported him said, "This is not right."

Governor Kim also revealed that he was suffering from severe stress by telling a certain reporter at the county office after the Chuseok holiday last year, "Brother, I feel like dying from all the phone calls here and there."

Ultimately, on the evening of the 8th, Governor Kim left his home and ended his life on the hillside of 'Bideuljae-gil,' which connects Changnyeong-eup to Okcheon-gol. His body was discovered around 8 a.m. the next day and was transported to the hospital at 10:15 a.m.

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