Yangcheon District Mayor Refutes Resident Recall as 'Nonsensical Political Offensive' That 'Hinders District Administration'

Claiming Abuse of Authority for Matters Handled Through Proper Procedures, Attempting Resident Recall... Suspected 'Political Offensive with Malicious Intent' Ahead of General Election

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Kim Soo-young, Mayor of Yangcheon District, criticized the recall petition reported by some media as a "malicious political attack," stating, "At a time when local governments are swiftly responding to the national disaster crisis caused by the novel coronavirus, this is nothing but a 'senseless political attack' aimed at 'hampering district administration.'"

The representative petitioner leading this recall, Kim Soon-hwan, is the Secretary-General of the Committee for Measures for the Livelihood of Ordinary People. This organization was established in 1988 and operated as the "Committee for Measures for the Livelihood of Ordinary People under the National Communication Headquarters of President Park Geun-hye's Central Election Committee" in 2012. Last December, it was introduced in the media as a representative conservative civic group, having appointed Representative Jung Gap-yoon of the Liberty Korea Party (Ulsan Jung-gu) as its chairman.

Mayor Kim stated, "From the fact that the Secretary-General of such a civic group has come forward as the representative petitioner for the recall, deep suspicion inevitably arises regarding the 'political purpose' of this recall petition." She added, "According to Article 10 of the Recall Act (Restrictions on Signature Solicitation Activities), signatures cannot be collected from February 15 until the end of the April 15, 2020 general election, leaving only a few days to collect signatures before the election. The attempt to proceed with the recall now seems to be a 'political attack with impure motives' aimed at influencing the election."

She also emphasized, "Regarding the reasons for the recall petition, such as 'abuse of power related to the entry of Hanaro Mart' and 'neglect of duty related to the demolition of unauthorized buildings in Omokgyo,' Yangcheon District has repeatedly stated through the media that these were administrative actions conducted according to proper procedures and regulations. We plan to respond strongly through legal means against the malicious exploitation of these issues."

Furthermore, she said, "I have sincerely cooperated with the ongoing investigation, and it is very regrettable that such an incident has occurred while the investigation has not yet been concluded and no results have been announced. I apologize for causing concern to the residents."

She also mentioned, "The trial of my husband, former Mayor Lee Je-hak, is currently underway, and although no verdict has been reached yet, it is unfair to continue to raise this issue and demand my resignation as a political attack."

Mayor Kim stated, "Before being 'someone's wife,' I was re-elected as mayor in the 2018 local elections with an overwhelming support rate of over 61%. I take the responsibility entrusted to me by the residents of Yangcheon District seriously and will lead the district administration steadfastly and boldly without wavering."

Meanwhile, attempts to recall Seoul district mayors have been made in Mapo, Jongno, and Gangbuk districts, with this being the fourth attempt. Previous recall attempts were either withdrawn by the representative petitioner (Mapo) or failed due to non-submission of signature lists (Jongno and Gangbuk).