Democratic Party to Summon 10 Gwangju City Council Members Over Budget Committee Controversy

Detailed Explanations to Be Heard on September 5
One-Year Party Suspension Would Bar Candidacy in Next Year's Local Elections

Gwangju City Council Main Assembly Hall.

The Ethics Tribunal of the Gwangju branch of the Democratic Party of Korea has decided to summon all 10 city council members to hear their explanations regarding the controversy over the formation of the Gwangju City Council's Special Committee on Budget and Accounts.

According to the local party branch on August 25, the Ethics Tribunal plans to call in the implicated council members on September 5 to hear detailed accounts of the situation, following its second meeting held on August 22. In the first meeting, the facts were investigated in writing, and during the second meeting, the tribunal reportedly coordinated the schedule for summoning the referred members.

The council members in question sparked controversy by causing internal conflict during the selection process for the committee members. They excluded Assemblyman Seo Imseok, who had been designated as the original committee chair, and instead elected an independent council member as the committee chair and a People Power Party member as vice chair, leading to discord within the party.

If these council members are disciplined with a suspension of party membership for about one year, they will not be able to run as Democratic Party candidates in the local elections scheduled for June next year.

Meanwhile, the Gwangju City Council saw all nine former committee members resign, and a new Special Committee on Budget and Accounts was formed with eight members.

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