"'Calling Mayor Kim' and getting insulted"... City councilors angry at Uiwang Mayor

Democratic Party Members of Uiwang City Council in Gyeonggi
Hold Press Conference Demanding Apology from Mayor Kim Seong-je
"You XX, swear words used" vs "Acknowledge the Argument"

Members of the Uiwang City Council in Gyeonggi Province, affiliated with the Democratic Party of Korea, held a press conference demanding an apology, claiming that Mayor Kim Seong-je verbally abused council members. However, Mayor Kim's side denied the allegations, stating that no such verbal abuse occurred, causing controversy. On the 13th, Democratic Party council members Han Chae-hoon, Kim Tae-heung, Seo Chang-soo, and independent council member Park Hyun-ho held a press conference at the city council.

On the afternoon of the 13th, Han Chae-hoon, Kim Tae-heung, and Seo Chang-soo, members of the Democratic Party of Korea in the Uiwang City Council, along with independent member Park Hyun-ho, held a press conference at the city council. Photo by Han Chae-hoon

According to these council members, after the temporary session ended on the 1st, a verbal dispute broke out between one council member and Mayor Kim outside the meeting room. Mayor Kim reportedly expressed displeasure over a council member addressing him as "Mayor Kim" in a harsh tone during a 5-minute speech at the temporary session, instead of using the honorific "Mayor-nim."

One council member claimed that during this exchange, Mayor Kim verbally abused him with phrases such as "You XX" and "You rude XX." The council members stated, "Although there is no direct recording of the mayor's verbal abuse, everyone confirmed hearing remarks like 'You deserve the insults' in the hallway after the plenary session. Verbal abuse directed at a council member, who represents the residents, is no different from insulting the residents themselves," and urged Mayor Kim to issue a public apology.

They added, "Following a 5-minute speech that included criticism of the need for personnel reform in the management part after Uiwang Urban Corporation ranked 40th in the management evaluation conducted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on 50 city and county facility management corporations, we were subjected to verbal abuse. We requested a public apology from the mayor's side through Chairman Kim Hak-gi for an amicable resolution, but have received no response so far. We ask for a sincere and solemn public apology along with a promise to prevent recurrence."

On the other hand, Mayor Kim's side, affiliated with the People Power Party, stated, "There was a verbal dispute, but no verbal abuse." The Uiwang city office explained, "While it is true that the mayor expressed dissatisfaction as if a teacher was reprimanding a student who made a mistake at school, we understand that no verbal abuse occurred."