Elementary Students Who Put Sand in Classmate's Mouth... Seongnam City Council Member Involved in Child School Violence Leaves People Power Party

Ahn Cheol-soo Ordered Expelled the Day Before
Democratic Party in City Council Demands Voluntary Resignation

A member of the Seongnam City Council in Gyeonggi Province, affiliated with the People Power Party, whose elementary school child was involved as a perpetrator in school violence, resigned from the party on the 21st.

On the same day, the People Power Party's Gyeonggi Provincial Party Committee and Seongnam City Council completed the processing of the resignation of Councilor A, according to Yonhap News Agency. Councilor A submitted a resignation letter to the Gyeonggi Provincial Party Committee that morning.

Seongnam City Council building view

Councilor A recently faced controversy after it became known externally that their child was involved in a school violence incident, leading to demands for an apology and resignation from the council position. In an apology statement on the 17th, they said, "As a parent, I bear great responsibility for not properly educating my child," and apologized, saying, "I sincerely apologize to the student and their family who were harmed, as well as to the citizens."

Despite this apology, on the 20th, Assemblyman Ahn Cheol-soo (Chairman of the People Power Party Bundang Gap District Committee) issued a statement titled "People Power Party Bundang Gap District Committee's Position on School Violence in Seongnam City," ordering Councilor A to "take responsibility and leave the party." Assemblyman Ahn stated, "Eradicating school violence in educational settings is a national demand and also my conviction as a district committee chairman," and added, "I deeply regret and apologize to the public and citizens for the disappointment caused by the fact that one of the parents of the perpetrating students is a city council member from our party." He further warned, "If there are any acts within the party that defend the perpetrators or blame the victims, such actions will be regarded as damaging the party's dignity, and strict measures such as filing a complaint with the party's Ethics Committee will be taken."

With Councilor A's resignation from the party, the composition of the Seongnam City Council was reorganized to 17 members from the People Power Party, 14 from the Democratic Party of Korea, and 3 independents. On the afternoon the news of Councilor A's resignation became known, members of the Democratic Party faction in the Seongnam City Council held a press conference in the council seminar room, urging Councilor A to voluntarily resign, stating, "There are ongoing demands for voluntary resignation centered around the local political circles and communities." Some of them had also held a press conference in front of the Seongnam Office of Education on the 16th, demanding, "As an elected public official, express a responsible stance on your position."

According to the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education and Seongnam City Council, from April to June this year, four sixth-grade students at an elementary school in Bundang-gu, Seongnam City, committed acts of violence against one student in a park by mixing snacks with sand and forcing the student to eat it, and pressing down on the student's body as a game penalty. After an investigation confirmed the school violence, the education authorities recently held a School Violence Countermeasure Committee meeting and took measures including written apologies and class transfers for two of the perpetrators. One student who was less involved was given a written apology and four hours of school community service, and the remaining student was given a written apology.