Choi In-ho: "Does writing 'Women Safe Return Path' on the street guarantee public safety?"

"No Compromise with the Seong Privilege Fascism Forces"

Choi In-ho, a member of the Seoul Gwanak-gu Council (affiliated with the People Power Party), who led the budget cut for the 'Women’s Safe Return Path' in connection with the sexual assault and death incident on the hiking trail in Sillim-dong, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, is facing calls for resignation, stating that "this matter could not have been promoted without the opposition of the Democratic Party."

On the 21st, Councilor Choi said through his Facebook, "The decision to cut the entire budget for the Women’s Safe Return Path and convert it to the Safe Alley budget with an increase was passed through the Gwanak-gu Council’s Budget and Accounts Special Committee and approved at the plenary session."

He claimed, "During the 2023 Gwanak-gu main budget adjustment, I proposed converting the Women’s Safe Return Path budget to the Safe Alley budget and brought it to the negotiation table, and it was agreed upon by both ruling and opposition parties without opposition," adding, "At that time, the Democratic Party was the majority party in the Gwanak-gu Council."

Choi In-ho, Seoul Gwanak-gu Council Member. Photo by Choi, captured from Council Member Choi's YouTube channel.

Councilor Choi said, "Although I am not the council member of the district where the crime occurred, I have been targeted on women-majority websites and suffered from malicious comments due to the fact that I cut the entire budget for the Women’s Safe Return Path and increased the Safe Alley budget," and added, "Without even identifying the flaws in the budget allocation process and the project execution department, the responsibility is being shifted to me instead of Park Jun-hee, the head of Gwanak-gu, trying to trap me in an outdated 'misogyny' frame, and I have been watching this intention."

He also pointed out, "The Women’s Safe Return Path, which is neither safe nor managed, has already received much criticism," and said, "I think it is a one-dimensional project that can only come from desk administration to believe that writing the phrase ‘Women’s Safe Return Path’ on the street guarantees public safety."

He continued, "Nevertheless, there is a group maliciously agitating that if Miseong-dong Dullegil had been a Women’s Safe Return Path, the crime would not have occurred and that the crime happened because the budget was cut," and said, "Miseong-dong Dullegil was never installed nor planned to be installed as a Women’s Safe Return Path. Even if it had been installed, there is no guarantee that the crime would not have occurred."

Furthermore, Councilor Choi stated, "Even in this unfortunate situation, I have no intention of compromising with the sexual privilege fascism forces who are rampaging like lunatics thinking this is their chance," and added, "I will purify to the fullest extent within the authority given to me."

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