Mokpo City Council Refutes Claims by Candidate Bae Jong-ho as Inaccurate

Decision to Postpone After Steering Committee Meeting to Allow Sufficient Time for City Bus Negotiations

“Legitimate Exercise of Parliamentary Authority Should Not Be Used as a Tool for Political Conflict”

The Mokpo City Council (Chairman Moon Cha-bok) announced on the 7th that the press release from Democratic Party preliminary candidate Bae Jong-ho was inaccurate.

Preliminary candidate Bae Jong-ho raised suspicions in a press release on the 5th, stating, "The sudden postponement of the Mokpo City Council's extraordinary session scheduled from the 7th to the 20th is to focus on election campaigning to support a specific candidate, isn't it?"

In response, the Mokpo City Council reiterated that the postponement was unavoidable to allow sufficient time for the current administration to achieve a result acceptable to citizens in the ongoing 'City Bus Transportation Business Handover Negotiations,' and that it has no relation to the election.

In fact, on the 26th of last month, the Urban Construction Committee received a business report from the Public Transportation Division and expressed its intention to assist the administration in having enough time to reflect the will of the citizens and re-engage in negotiations.

They also explained that the decision to postpone the session was made on the 28th of last month after a meeting of the chairpersons and with the consent of all council members.

The Mokpo City Council expressed regret, stating, "Although the decision on the session is an inherent authority granted to the council by law, misleading citizens with baseless claims infringes on the council's autonomy and disrespects the citizens of Mokpo."

Chairman Moon Cha-bok said, "It is deeply concerning that reports unrelated to the facts cause unnecessary misunderstandings and confusion among citizens," adding, "The Mokpo City Council will do its best to handle the city bus issue, the biggest current issue in our city, according to the citizens' perspective and procedural appropriateness."