Geochang County: "Threats and Verbal Abuse Against Public Officials Are Crimes"... Strong Measures Planned

On March 10, Geochang County in South Gyeongsang Province held an emergency press briefing at the county office briefing room and issued a strong statement condemning the group verbal abuse and threats of murder that took place at the Geochang-eup Administrative Welfare Center on March 6.

The county defined this incident as "a serious case of threatening public officials to force the appointment of a village head," and announced that it would consider legal and administrative measures should similar incidents recur in the future.

Geochang County, Strong Condemnation Rally Against Threats and Abusive Language Toward Public Officials Photo

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The incident began with the selection of a new village head for Jungdong Village. On January 20, the Jungdong Village Development Committee recommended a candidate for the new village head. However, after an internal review by Geochang-eup, it was found that this candidate clearly had disqualifying reasons according to the village regulations. Following multiple consultations with the county’s legal advisor and other experts, Geochang-eup determined that forcibly appointing the candidate could be illegal, and officially returned the recommendation on February 24.

◆ Group Visited the Geochang-eup Administrative Welfare Center With a Baseball Bat, Issued Death Threats, and Verbally Abused Officials

In response, about 20 people, including the village head candidate and local residents, visited the Geochang-eup Administrative Welfare Center to protest around 3:00 p.m. on March 6. Notably, one individual entered the office of the town mayor while holding a baseball bat and threatened, "I'm here to commit murder today." The group gathered in the meeting room and continued to issue threats and death threats against public officials, saying things like "I'm here to commit murder today," "Do you have two lives?" and "If you don't appoint me, I won't let this go." This behavior occurred even while other residents were present on unrelated business, and was accompanied by loud shouting and degrading language.

◆ "Violence Is Not a Right of Residents, But an Obvious Crime"

Geochang County has classified this incident as a serious criminal act that threatens the safety of public officials and undermines the foundation of administration. A county official stated, "In a democratic society, disagreements over administrative decisions should be resolved through communication and legal procedures," and emphasized, "Resorting to violent means to push one's demands denies both common sense and the rule of law in our society."

The county also made it clear that public officials, above all, are valuable citizens of the county and individuals whose dignity and safety must be protected, not merely 'servants of the people.' The county determined that proper administrative services cannot be provided in an environment where officials feel fear and threats to their lives.

◆ All Available Legal and Administrative Measures Will Be Mobilized to Prevent Recurrence

This incident is being taken seriously by more than 800 public officials of Geochang County, including senior officials and the public officials' labor union. Should such events occur again, the county plans to take all possible legal and administrative actions in line with a "zero-tolerance policy." The county intends to hold those who undermine public trust in administration and threaten the safety of public officials fully accountable to the end.

Deputy Governor Kim Hyunmi stated, "Verbal abuse and threats can never be considered the right of residents, and are nothing but clear crimes that disrupt administrative order. Protecting the human dignity of public officials is the path to maintaining Geochang County’s administration, and going forward, we will respond even more strictly and resolutely to threats and insults against public officials."

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