A motion of no confidence against Heo Sik (66), chairman of the Incheon City Council, who caused controversy by circulating a newspaper disparaging the May 18 Democratic Uprising to fellow council members, failed to pass.
The Incheon City Council was scheduled to deliberate and vote on the no-confidence motion against Chairman Heo during a plenary session on the 23rd. However, Heo, who was presiding over the session, refused to put the agenda item to a vote and declared the session adjourned.
In a personal statement, Chairman Heo argued, "According to the Local Autonomy Act, a no-confidence resolution against a local council chairman requires that the chairman has violated laws or failed to perform duties without justifiable reasons, neither of which applies to me," adding, "Rather, the submission of the no-confidence motion against me is illegal."
The People Power Party council members, who held a general assembly to pass the no-confidence motion and led the agenda proposal, plan to discuss resubmitting the motion. Currently, the Incheon City Council consists of 40 seats: 25 held by the People Power Party, 14 by the Democratic Party, and 1 independent (Chairman Heo).
Heo Sik, chairman of the Incheon City Council, who sparked controversy for disparaging the May 18 Democratic Uprising, is making a personal statement at the first plenary session of the 292nd extraordinary meeting held on the 23rd. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Earlier, on the 2nd, Chairman Heo distributed a special edition newspaper from a particular media outlet about the May 18 event to the offices of all 39 fellow council members, sparking controversy. The 40-page newspaper contained content disparaging the May 18 Democratic Uprising, including claims such as "May 18 was an insurrection led by DJ’s faction and North Korea" and "a significant number of May 18 honorees are unrelated to the event."
Heo, who was a member of the People Power Party, resigned from the party on the 7th after the Incheon City Party Ethics Committee announced it would hold a disciplinary hearing regarding the May 18 disparagement controversy.
However, he refused calls for resignation from civic groups as well as Democratic Party and People Power Party council members. Heo explained, "I told fellow council members that such a newspaper existed, and since many asked for it, I handed it out for their reference. There was no other intention."
On the 15th, it was revealed that Heo again shared a photo and link to an article promoting the "North Korean military involvement theory" of May 18 in the council members’ group chat, prompting the Gwangju City Council’s May 18 Special Committee to issue a statement urging his resignation as chairman.
Additionally, on the 12th, the Incheon Regional Solidarity and Incheon Peace and Welfare Solidarity filed a police complaint against Heo for violating the Special Act on the May 18 Democratic Uprising. The Special Act stipulates that anyone who disseminates false information using newspapers or other publications related to May 18 may face up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 50 million won. The complainants argued, "The prohibited acts under the Special Act include distributing already published newspapers."
Since taking office in July 2022, Chairman Heo has been embroiled in multiple controversies over offensive remarks. Last year, he caused a stir by stating in official settings that "Incheon education is subtly teaching communism" and "Children in Michuhol District constantly swear."
In 2022, he also posted a derogatory comment on his SNS calling police officers opposing the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s establishment of a 'Police Bureau' "police riffraff," which drew protests from the Incheon Police Workplace Council.
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