'Parliamentary Defamation' Kim Oksu, Gwangju Seo-gu Council Member, Referred to Ethics Committee

The Seo-gu Council of Gwangju Metropolitan City announced on the 15th that the disciplinary request against Councilor Kim Oksu has been referred to the Ethics Special Committee during the 320th extraordinary session.

Councilor Kim filed a nullification lawsuit claiming that the process of electing the chairperson of the Seo-gu Council's first half in July 2022, which was led by members of the majority Democratic Party, was unfair. Both the first and second trials ruled that there was no illegality in the chairperson appointment process, resulting in a victory for the Seo-gu Council. However, dissatisfied with the ruling, Councilor Kim filed an appeal to the Supreme Court.

On the 29th of last month, the Supreme Court dismissed the plaintiff's appeal in the final trial regarding the nullification of the chairperson appointment resolution lawsuit filed by Councilor Kim against the Seo-gu Council.

Despite the Seo-gu Council's victory in the first trial in May last year, Councilor Kim continuously filed appeals and further appeals, causing additional litigation costs. As a result, a total of approximately 27.5 million KRW in litigation expenses were incurred. The claim that there was a legal problem in the chairperson appointment process not only damaged the reputation of the Seo-gu Council but also affected the council's credibility and status, raising significant concerns within the local community.

According to Article 65, Paragraph 2 of the Local Autonomy Act, the Ethics Special Committee must seek the opinion of the Ethics Review Advisory Committee before reviewing disciplinary matters concerning local council members.

In this regard, Im Seonghwa, Chairperson of the Ethics Special Committee, stated, “We will comply with the Local Autonomy Act and the Ordinance on the Code of Ethics and Ethical Practice for Members of the Seo-gu Council of Gwangju Metropolitan City, gather opinions from the advisory committee regarding the disciplinary case, and conduct a fair review.”

Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Shin Dongho bless4ya@asiae.co.kr

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