Chungbuk Provincial Assembly Member on European Trip Suspected of 'In-flight Drunken Misconduct'

Chungbuk Provincial Council Plans Immediate Fact-Finding Upon Return

A member of the Chungbuk Provincial Council, who embarked on an overseas training trip to Europe, has been accused of causing a disturbance while intoxicated on an airplane.

According to the Chungbuk Provincial Council on the 27th, one of the members of the Construction, Environment, and Fire Committee, who set out on an 8-night, 10-day training trip to Europe, reportedly behaved in an unsightly manner toward flight attendants and nearby passengers while intoxicated on the flight from Incheon International Airport to Frankfurt, Germany, on the 21st.

Onboard, Councilor A repeatedly called the flight attendants, requesting that his clothes be carefully placed so they would not get wrinkled. It was reported that there were many empty seats on the plane, so there was no need to call the flight attendants. Councilor A drank several bottles of beer provided on the flight and was reportedly still intoxicated upon arrival in Frankfurt.

Afterward, Councilor A continued to call the flight attendants to ask about the aircraft's speed and altitude, causing discomfort to surrounding passengers.

The Construction, Environment, and Fire Committee of the Provincial Council departed on the 21st for an 8-night, 10-day overseas training trip to Germany, the Czech Republic, and Austria. The itinerary included inspecting the use of renewable energy, transportation linkage systems, and fire safety systems.

Seven council members and three staff members accompanied the trip, which cost 5.71 million KRW per council member, of which 4.8 million KRW was funded by the Chungbuk provincial budget.

Chungbuk Provincial Council Main Assembly Hall. [Image provided by Chungbuk Provincial Council]

Lee Dong-woo, Chair of the Construction, Environment, and Fire Committee, who oversees the training trip, said in a media interview, "The seats on the plane were scattered here and there, so we could not grasp the situation in time." He added, "According to Councilor A, he kept asking for more beer and repeatedly called the flight attendants to carefully place his suit jacket, which seemed to make the passenger in the adjacent seat uncomfortable." He apologized on behalf of the training group for the thoughtless behavior.

The Construction, Environment, and Fire Committee members are scheduled to return to Incheon Airport on the 2nd of next month. The Provincial Council plans to investigate the matter as soon as Councilor A returns.

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