Seongnam Mayor Eun Su-mi: "I Will Always Be With the Citizens"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy (Seongnam) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Eun Soo-mi, mayor of Seongnam City, announced on the 9th that she will maintain her mayoral position following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn and remand the original ruling, stating, "I will focus on city administration without hesitation."

On the same day, Mayor Eun posted on Facebook, "I am grateful to the court. At a time when we should be concentrating solely on comforting and supporting citizens struggling due to COVID-19, I apologize once again for causing concern."

She added, "Seongnam City has been working together with its citizens under the principle of 'widening social distance while narrowing the distance of human rights and turning it into an opportunity for a new leap forward,' and I will always be by the side of every single citizen to ensure no one is isolated."

She further promised, "Especially, I will make greater efforts to prevent the polarization that grew after the IMF crisis from recurring due to COVID-19."

Earlier, the Supreme Court's 2nd Division (Presiding Justice Ahn Cheol-sang) overturned the original ruling that sentenced Mayor Eun to a fine of 3 million KRW in her appeal trial on charges of violating the Political Funds Act and remanded the case to the Suwon High Court.

Mayor Eun was prosecuted on charges of illegally receiving vehicle conveniences 95 times from Komatrade, represented by Lee, a former member of an organized crime group in the Seongnam area, from June 2016 to May 2017.

The first trial sentenced Mayor Eun to a fine of 900,000 KRW, but the second trial increased the fine to 3 million KRW. Elected officials are disqualified from office if they are sentenced to a fine of 1 million KRW or more for violating the Political Funds Act.