Conflict Arises Again Over Banner Removal Between Seoul Jung-gu Office and Jung-gu Council

Seoul Jung-gu Council Plans to File Complaint for Property Damage Against Jung-gu Mayor and Officials Over Forced Removal of Property Banner After Legislative Consultation

Photo before demolition

Photo after demolition

When will the conflict between Jung-gu Office and Jung-gu Council in Seoul be resolved?

On the 18th, Jung-gu Council issued a press release criticizing Jung-gu Office for removing the banner announcing the opening of the 280th extraordinary session within just one day.

The council has posted banners to inform residents about the meeting before the session begins. This time, banners were posted at 26 locations (15 community service centers and 11 densely populated residential areas including Sindang-dong) ahead of the 280th extraordinary session, but all the banners were removed in less than a day, causing great dismay.

The banners that were removed included the main agenda items for the plenary session period, such as the 3rd supplementary budget proposal and the resolution to form a special administrative investigation committee.

On the 16th, the council presented the agenda for the 1st plenary session, including the resolution to form the Budget and Accounts Special Committee, the request for an administrative investigation, the resolution to form the Special Administrative Investigation Committee, and the appointment of its members. The resolution to form and appoint the Special Administrative Investigation Committee was passed with a majority vote.

The background for launching the administrative investigation special committee involved various suspicions and reports related to mismanagement and personnel abuses surrounding the Jung-gu Facilities Management Corporation.

As a public institution using residents' taxes, the corporation is expected to actively practice and uphold public interest values and operate with integrity and fairness to promote residents' welfare. When allegations of misconduct arose, the council, as the legislative body representing residents and overseeing the executive branch, formed the Special Administrative Investigation Committee to identify the facts and devise measures to ensure the efficiency and fairness of the corporation's operations.

However, on the same day, the 16th, all 26 banners announcing the extraordinary session, including the resolution to form the Special Administrative Investigation Committee, were abruptly removed by the executive branch in less than a day, which the council strongly criticized.

While banners installed by Jung-gu Office that had expired or were not placed on designated bulletin boards were left untouched, only the council's banners were removed. This raises reasonable suspicion that there was a malicious intent to systematically obstruct the investigation by the Jung-gu Council's Special Administrative Investigation Committee.

The biased and political double standards of the district office, which should comply with laws and regulations, are spreading into a situation that not only deliberately disrupts the council’s legislative activities but also neglects its fundamental duty to protect residents' right to know and lead public interest values.

The deplorable current state, which disregards the basic administrative values of reliability, proportionality, and equality, is deeply concerning not only in terms of the forced removal of banners but also raises worries about potential infringements on residents' rights in other administrative areas.

Due to this incident, Jung-gu Council announced that it plans to file a criminal complaint against the Jung-gu Mayor and related officials for property damage regarding the forced removal of the council’s banners, following legislative consultation.

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