Political Battle Between Ruling and Opposition Parties in Wonju City Council Over Mayor Who Avoided Losing Position

Democratic Party, "Apologize Before Smiling with Joy"
People Power Party, "Stop Spreading False Information Immediately"

[Asia Economy Reporter Ra Young-cheol] Won Gang-su, mayor of Wonju, Gangwon Province, was sentenced to a fine of 900,000 won in the first trial for violating the Public Official Election Act, narrowly avoiding losing his position. Meanwhile, members of the Wonju City Council from both ruling and opposition parties are clashing and engaging in disputes.

Won Kang-su, Mayor of Wonju City
Photo by Wonju City

Wonju City Council members from the Democratic Party of Korea stated on the 16th, "Rather than smiling with joy at avoiding a sentence that would invalidate the election, apologizing to the citizens should come first," adding, "We must seriously consider whether the citizens can understand the ruling and pay close attention to the appeal trial and Supreme Court decision."

The Democratic Party councilors also directly criticized Mayor Won, saying, "Not long ago, a member of the mayor’s campaign was fined 5 million won for distributing false information aimed at defeating an opposing candidate. If the mayor was unaware, it shows incompetence; if he knew, his morality should be questioned."

In response, on the 17th, Wonju City Council members from the People Power Party issued a statement saying, "Mayor Won solemnly apologized at a press conference immediately after the ruling," and "Despite this, stop spreading false information that he did not apologize and was smiling with joy, and solemnly apologize to the citizens."

They continued, "Accurately confirm the sentencing reasons of the court," and added, "Democratic Party Wonju councilors should stop political strife and focus on economic and livelihood policies for the collapsing economy of Wonju, fulfilling their duties as council members."

Earlier, the Chuncheon District Court Wonju Branch 1st Criminal Division (Chief Judge Shin Gyo-sik) sentenced Mayor Won, who was indicted without detention for violating the Public Official Election Act, to a fine of 900,000 won.

Mayor Won was indicted in November for allegedly underreporting assets worth about 480 million won, including real estate, deposits, and insurance, during the property declaration process in the June 1 local elections last year, and for publicly announcing false information through election brochures and the Central Election Commission website.

The prosecution sought a fine of 1.5 million won, citing the importance of voters receiving accurate candidate information. The mayor’s side pleaded for leniency, stating, "The property was not falsely reported; most of it was due to mistakes or errors."