"Do Not Mobilize Local Government Officials for Singing Contest"... JeonGongNo Daegu Headquarters Issues Statement

Daegu City General Affairs Division Requests District Offices: "Venue is Large, Over 50 Attendees Expected"

Daegu City is facing controversy for attempting to mobilize district and county officials for the "2024 Public Officials Singing Contest" to be held at EXCO on the 8th.

The Daegu Regional Headquarters of the Korean Government Employees' Union issued a statement on the 4th, revealing, "On May 30, a staff member from the General Affairs Division of Daegu City sent a letter to the employee welfare teams of each district and county, requesting them to mobilize staff for the '2024 Public Officials Singing Contest.' The letter asked for the event to be promoted on internal bulletin boards, requested that at least 50 people attend due to the large venue (1,300 seats), and mentioned that the head of the General Affairs Division was individually contacting deputy district heads."

Daegu City Hall Dongin Office Building

The Daegu branch of the union further criticized, "Why is the General Affairs Division involved in a private event organized by a club of city officials, not even hosted by Daegu City? The fact that the head of the General Affairs Division is calling deputy district heads for this matter shows they see the districts and counties as subordinate departments and mere targets for mobilization. Isn't this a failure to distinguish between public and private matters?"

The Daegu branch raised suspicions, saying, "Just as with the public officials' golf tournament, it seems they are encouraging and attempting to mobilize participation from districts and counties to fill the venue, anticipating low turnout for the singing contest."

A representative of the Daegu branch said, "The reason the head of the General Affairs Division is asking deputy heads of districts and counties to mobilize for a club event is likely because this is not a voluntary club event, but one of interest to Mayor Hong Joonpyo. Mayor Hong has publicly stated several times that he will actively support public officials' club activities, such as holding a golf tournament in the spring and a singing contest in the fall."

The Daegu branch also recalled, "At the congratulatory speech for the 1st Daegu City Public Officials Golf Tournament on May 7 last year, Mayor Hong told staff, 'Don't worry about what others think,' and 'We now live in a world where you don't have to worry about others. Live confidently. Don't worry about what others think,' urging public officials to enjoy golf confidently. The mayor is openly declaring that he won't care about Daegu citizens' opinions. He is sending a message that he will do as he pleases and that public officials should do the same. The Daegu City Public Officials Singing Contest, held under the pretense of supporting club activities, is ultimately deceiving Daegu citizens by disguising an event tailored to the mayor's preferences as a club event. Where does the massive budget for renting the venue and using high-end sound equipment come from?"

The Daegu branch further stated, "Mayor Hong opposes lunch break rights for district and county civil affairs officials, takes away holiday rest rights from supermarket workers, suppresses the Daegu Queer Culture Festival, a human rights event for sexual minorities, promotes the unrealistic Daegu-Gyeongbuk administrative integration as a political issue, and maintains an indifferent attitude as if it doesn't matter whether these things happen or not. He has also fueled regional conflict over the TK New Airport and repeatedly engaged in extreme politics, such as erecting a statue of the dictator Park Chunghee at Dongdaegu Square, and now he is even in conflict with young people."

The Daegu headquarters of the union strongly urged, "We firmly oppose the Daegu City Public Officials Singing Contest, which deceives Daegu citizens with a club event using a massive budget, and the mobilization of district and county officials, and demand its immediate suspension."