Supreme Court Confirms Gwangju Seo-gu Council Victory in Lawsuit Over Invalid Election of Chairperson Panel

The lawsuit challenging the invalidity of the appointment of the chairperson group of the Gwangju Metropolitan City Seo-gu Council has come to an end with the Supreme Court's ruling in the final appeal that there was no illegality.

On the 29th of last month, the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal filed by Kim Oksu, an independent Seo-gu council member, in the final appeal of the lawsuit seeking confirmation of the invalidity of the resolution to appoint the chairperson group against the Seo-gu Council.

Councilor Kim filed the invalidity lawsuit arguing that the process of electing the chairperson of the Seo-gu Council, which was led by the majority party members from the Democratic Party, was unfair. Both the first and second trials judged that there was no illegality in the appointment process of the chairperson group, resulting in a victory for the Seo-gu Council, but Councilor Kim appealed to the Supreme Court in disagreement.

During the 2022 organizational formation, Kim, the most senior member acting as the chairperson, requested the Democratic Party chairperson candidate to make a statement. However, Democratic Party members responded that since the chairperson candidate was selected through an internal party primary, it was not illegal, and that the acting chairperson demanding clarification on the chairperson election exceeded his authority, urging him to promptly perform the role of the temporary chairperson.

Nevertheless, Councilor Kim stated, "If clarification is not provided by the next day, I will not proceed with the council session," and then left. The remaining Democratic Party members judged that it was no longer possible to expect the plaintiff to conduct the meeting for the chairperson election, and under the chairmanship of the next-in-line acting chairperson, held the third plenary session, electing the chairperson and vice-chairperson to form the chairperson group.

In response, Councilor Kim filed a lawsuit claiming that the entire formation of the chairperson group was illegal, but the courts in the first, second, and third trials all concluded that the plaintiff’s (Councilor Kim’s) claim regarding the election of the Seo-gu Council chairperson was unfounded.

Meanwhile, although the Seo-gu Council won the first trial in May last year, Councilor Kim continuously filed appeals and final appeals, resulting in additional litigation costs. This led citizens to criticize, saying, "The council members who should monitor whether taxpayers' money is being used properly are instead wasting taxpayers' money."

A Seo-gu Council official stated, "The lawsuit that began with the opening of the council continued until the end of the first half of the term, creating a heavy atmosphere, but we are relieved that it has now been concluded," and added, "We hope the council will become more united and hardworking to earn the love of the residents."

Shin Dongho, Honam Reporting Headquarters, Asia Economy bless4ya@asiae.co.kr