O Minja Uiryeong County Council Member Severely Criticized for 'Gapjil Parking'... Officials and Residents Say "Did You Only Learn Gapjil?"

"'Gapjil Parking' Is Not a New Issue, It Can Be Seen Quite Often"

The Uiryeong County Council in Gyeongnam is facing strong criticism for excessive ‘gapjil (abuse of power) and verbal abuse’ against public officials, and now it has drawn public ire after it was revealed that there was ‘gapjil parking’ within the county office building.

On the 12th, Assemblywoman Oh Min-ja (Independent, 59) parked not in the parking lot inside the county office building but on the sidewalk blocks created for the convenience of visually impaired people and civil petitioners while entering the council.

Passenger car illegally parked by Ominja, Uiryeong County Council member, on the 12th. [Image provided by Asia Economy reader]

At the time, the parking lot inside the county office building, as photographed by a whistleblower, had many empty parking spaces. It appears there was no reason for Assemblywoman Oh to illegally park on the sidewalk blocks designated as a passage for the visually impaired. Therefore, the criticism of Assemblywoman Oh’s ‘gapjil parking’ cannot be avoided by any explanation.

In particular, Assemblywoman Oh’s ‘gapjil parking’ is viewed negatively by the local community and public officials, as she was the main figure in the recent ‘gapjil verbal abuse’ incident that stirred up the local society.

Moreover, the seriousness is heightened by suspicions that this ‘gapjil parking’ was not a one-time occurrence. It has been pointed out that illegal parking by Assemblywoman Oh as well as other council members is frequently witnessed.

One public official said in a phone interview with Asia Economy, “Scenes of Assemblywoman Oh’s gapjil parking can often be seen,” adding, “Every time I see it, I feel ashamed and embarrassed as a junior public official.”

Passenger car illegally parked by Oh Min-ja, Uiryeong County council member.

He continued, “After more than 30 years as a public official, I wonder what she learned, whether she only learned gapjil during her public service. Sometimes I feel pathetic, and other times I even feel pity when I see Assemblywoman Oh; somehow it leaves a bitter taste.”

Another public official criticized, “It is so shameful that she was a senior public official that I want to hide it,” and added, “It was just the other day that she hurt junior public officials with ‘gapjil and verbal abuse,’ yet she still does not reflect and even commits ‘gapjil parking.’ I cannot help but be shocked by her character.”

The gapjil behavior of Uiryeong County council members is shocking as it is not a recent phenomenon.

Asia Economy exclusively reported around March that Uiryeong County Council Chairman Kim Gyu-chan, Vice Chairman Yoon Byung-yeol, and Chairman of the Industry and Construction Committee Kim Chang-ho were smoking inside the council building, drawing public criticism.

At that time, the smoking was not a one-time incident but a so-called ‘gapjil smoking’ that had continued for years by abusing their positions. They installed a ventilation fan in a space prepared as a supply storage room at a corner of the passage inside the building and even called public officials to smoke together.

This was an act that violated the government’s strong anti-smoking policies as well as the public sentiment, and it disregarded the health of residents and non-smoking public officials. Although smoking inside the building was eradicated after the report, it is still talked about as a ‘barometer’ measuring the level of ‘gapjil’ in the Uiryeong County Council at that time.