City Councilor Expelled for Adultery Scandal... Expelled Again for 'Assault and Stalking'

Gimje City Council Votes to Expel Councilor Yoo Jin-woo

A member of the Jeonbuk Gimje City Council was expelled for the second time, following allegations of assaulting a woman and stalking, after previously being involved in an inappropriate relationship with a fellow council member.

Gimje City Council
Photo by Yonhap News

On the 3rd, Yonhap News reported that the Jeonbuk Gimje City Council held a plenary session and passed the highest level of disciplinary action, expulsion, against Councilor Yoo Jin-woo (Independent). Excluding Yoo himself, 13 council members participated in the vote, with 12 in favor and 1 abstention, resulting in the approval of the expulsion motion. This marks the second time Yoo has been expelled.

In December of last year, Councilor Yoo was referred to the prosecution on charges of assaulting a woman, Ms. A, whom he had known for some time, at a supermarket in Gimje City. Closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from the supermarket showed Yoo grabbing the woman’s belt and threatening to throw objects such as a beverage bottle. He is also accused of stalking the woman by making dozens of phone calls and sending text messages to her.

Previously, in 2020, Yoo caused controversy due to an inappropriate relationship with a female fellow council member and was expelled from the council for damaging its dignity. He later returned to the council following a court ruling that found procedural flaws in the disciplinary process. Yoo ran as an independent candidate in the 2022 local elections, was re-elected, and continued his legislative activities.

The City Council’s Ethics Special Committee requested disciplinary action against Yoo in January on the grounds of "violation of the duty to maintain the dignity of a council member," unanimously passing the expulsion motion and submitting it to the plenary session. Kim Young-ja, Chairperson of the Gimje City Council, declared the approval of the expulsion motion, stating, "We sincerely apologize to the citizens" and "We will make every effort to be reborn as a trusted council."

However, Yoo maintains that the expulsion decision is unjust before the court ruling. It is reported that he plans to file an injunction to nullify the disciplinary action in response to the recent decision.

According to the Local Autonomy Act, expulsion, the highest level of disciplinary action for local council members, requires the approval of at least two-thirds of the total council members. Once passed, it takes effect immediately, resulting in the loss of the council seat. However, if the disciplined member contests the decision by filing for a suspension of execution and a lawsuit for nullification (cancellation) with the court, and if the court accepts the suspension request first, the member can retain their seat until the final verdict of the cancellation lawsuit is reached.