Gangseo-gu Council Ruling Party Members Involved in Fistfight at Japan Sister City Alliance Ceremony

On the 27th, members of the People Power Party from the Gangseo District Council in Seoul engaged in a fistfight after a sister city event with Otaru City, Japan, held at the Gangseo District Office, prompting police to intervene.

The Gangseo Police Station stated that at around 3:11 p.m. that day, they received a report that Gangseo District Council members were fighting while armed with weapons, and deployed armed officers to the scene. It is known that People Power Party council members Jeong Jang-hoon (62, re-elected) and Lee Chung-hyun (60, re-elected) were involved in the altercation.

On the same day, Gangseo District held the "Gangseo District-Otaru City Sister City 10th Anniversary Ceremony" in the main conference room of the Gangseo District Office. About 50 people attended the event, including District Mayor Jin Gyo-hoon, Otaru City Mayor Hajama Toshiya, and city council members from Japan.

After the event, Councilmembers Jeong and Lee reportedly disagreed over protocol ranking, which escalated into a heated argument and led to a fistfight near the back gate of the district council building. According to the police, the initial report claimed that Councilmember Jeong was armed with a weapon, but it was later confirmed that what he was holding was a car key.

Regarding this, Councilmember Jeong explained, "It is true that a physical altercation occurred after a verbal dispute over seating arrangements," but added, "The Japanese city council members had already finished taking photos and left the venue. The fight did not take place in front of them."

A police official stated, "An investigation is necessary," and added, "If both parties express no intention to press charges, the case will be closed."

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