"Suncheon City Councilors' Physical Altercation on Bus Due to 'Sakbalsik'"

Attended Rally to Attract Medical School
Protested Sudden Schedule Change Notification

It has recently come to light that members of the Suncheon City Council in Jeollanam-do engaged in verbal abuse and a physical altercation on a bus while traveling to Seoul to attend a rally urging the establishment of a medical school, sparking controversy.

According to the Suncheon City Council on the 22nd, 15 council members affiliated with the Democratic Party collectively traveled to Seoul by a chartered bus on the 18th to attend a rally held in front of the War Memorial near the Presidential Office in Yongsan, Seoul, calling for the establishment of a medical school in the Jeonnam region.

On the afternoon of the 18th at 2 PM, lawmakers urging the establishment of a national medical school in Jeonnam Province in front of the War Memorial near the Yongsan Presidential Office.
[Photo by Jeonnam Provincial Council]

Among them, Councilor A suddenly proposed a schedule change on the bus, saying, "There will be a head-shaving ceremony for the local committee chairperson (Democratic Party member So Byeong-cheol) in front of the National Assembly," and suggested, "Let's stop by the National Assembly to show support before heading to Yongsan."

Councilor B opposed, saying, "Is it appropriate to participate in a head-shaving ceremony for a member of the National Assembly, which was not planned, while we have also changed the council session schedule to come to Seoul?"

In response, Councilor A approached Councilor B and protested, saying, "You pick fights over everything," and the two exchanged shouts and insults for about five minutes before a physical altercation broke out. Fellow council members intervened to stop them, resulting in a commotion.

The incident was settled when Councilor A apologized following mediation by fellow council members. The dispute among the councilors was witnessed by accompanying city hall and city council officials.

A representative of the Suncheon City Council stated, "Since attracting a medical school to the region is an urgent issue, the council members attended the rally even during the session. It seems the emotional conflict escalated during the process of protesting the unilateral schedule notification."

The total number of seated members in the Suncheon City Council is 25. It consists of 20 Democratic Party members, 2 Progressive Party members, 1 People Power Party member, and 2 independents. Only 15 Democratic Party councilors attended this rally.

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