Daegu City Council Member Hajung Hwan: "Media Publicity Spending Must Be Transparent and Consistent"

Issues Raised During Administrative Audit
Execution Regardless of Editorial Stance

The Culture and Welfare Committee of the Daegu City Council (Chairman Park Changseok) conducted an administrative audit on November 19, covering the Public Relations Office, the Daegu Sports Council, and the Daegu Disabled Sports Council. Regarding the Public Relations Office, the committee called for maintaining momentum in municipal publicity and strengthening the media response system. For the sports councils, they urged identification of the reasons behind poor performance at the National Sports Festival and the development of measures to promote sports for the disabled.

First, the administrative audit of the Public Relations Office focused on the overall media response system, including reviewing the direction of municipal publicity in light of the mayoral vacancy and the use of YouTube, as well as responses to media misreporting.

Hajung Hwan, Daegu City Council Member

Chairman Park Changseok (Gunwi County) emphasized the need to maintain consistency and momentum in municipal publicity regardless of whether there is a mayor in office. He pointed out the necessity of strengthening proactive publicity to inspire hope among citizens and called for expanding the production and promotion of video content for major Daegu events and current issues.

Committee member Lee Jaesuk (Dong District 4) reviewed the operational direction and content strategy of the Daegu City YouTube channel, checked plans for introducing more creative and participatory content compared to other local governments, and urged the enhancement of content through short-form videos and collaborations with local creators.

Committee member Hajung Hwan (Dalseong County 1) stressed the need to establish transparent and consistent standards for publicity spending, as this issue has been raised every year. He also pointed out that responses to critical articles should involve clarification and communication, and that advertisements necessary for municipal publicity should be placed fairly, regardless of the editorial stance of the media outlet.

Committee member Ha Byungmun (Buk District 4) requested that Daegu's achievements be promoted more actively, especially as municipal publicity may weaken during a mayoral vacancy. He also reviewed whether the media response to sensitive issues such as recruitment controversies was properly handled and urged further strengthening of the media management system to prevent public misunderstandings in the future.

Committee member Kim Jaewoo (Dong District 1) noted that Daegu has fewer publicity ambassadors compared to other cities and provinces, reviewed the selection criteria and overall management system, and requested improvements to related ordinances. He also called for expanding the number of ambassadors and diversifying their fields to enhance Daegu's city image and competitiveness.

Committee member Jeong Ilgyun (Suseong District 1) emphasized the importance of media publicity as negative press reports have continued and public concern has grown since the mayoral vacancy. He reviewed the status of press release distribution and checked the reasons for the suspension of the Beomeo Intersection electronic billboard as well as the appropriateness of related budget expenditures.

Committee member Kim Jubum (Dalseo District 6) pointed out insufficient explanations regarding major controversies, called for more active fact-checking and responses to inaccurate reporting, and criticized the operation of the children's press corps as being merely formal. He urged substantive improvements to the program, such as article writing education and on-site reporting, to better fulfill its purpose.

The subsequent administrative audit of the Daegu Sports Council and Daegu Disabled Sports Council continued with criticism regarding poor performance at the National Sports Festival and calls for measures to promote sports for the disabled.

Chairman Park Changseok pointed out the continued decline in Daegu's performance at the National Sports Festival and urged a thorough analysis of the causes of poor results and the development of strategies to improve athletic performance.

Committee member Lee Jaesuk reviewed the status of fundraising by member sports organizations, requested encouragement for more donations, and urged that support funds for member organizations be distributed under clear standards to avoid concentration in specific organizations or sports.

Committee member Hajung Hwan noted that increasing the recruitment budget for outstanding athletes has not led to improved performance among participating athletes. He urged efforts to enhance athletes' skills and called for thorough checks to ensure that overtime allowances are paid according to regulations.

Committee member Kim Jaewoo examined the reasons for poor results at the recently held National Para Games, called for stronger communication with local disabled sports enthusiasts, and urged a proactive approach to discovering athletes and training coaches.

Committee member Jeong Ilgyun noted that, unlike other special and metropolitan cities, only Daegu has not established district and county-level disabled sports councils. He called for active efforts to establish them and urged the proactive discovery of outstanding athletes in the region to enhance local sports competitiveness.

Committee member Kim Jubum (Dalseo District 6) pointed out that the frequency of exercise and awareness of sports facilities among Daegu's disabled residents are at the lowest level compared to other regions. He called for the discovery of sports that reflect the actual needs of the disabled and for improved accessibility to community sports facilities.

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