Maeng Uiseok, Asan City Vice Chairman, Announces Mayoral By-election Bid... "Will Return Salary if Elected"

"Three Former Mayors Criminally Punished, Apologies to Citizens"

The vice chairman of Asan City Council in Chungnam is seen declaring his candidacy at the city hall briefing room on the 8th.

Maeng Uiseok, Vice Chairman of the Asan City Council in Chungnam, stated on the 8th, "Due to the immorality of former mayors, the citizens have suffered," and added, "To atone even a little for the wrongdoing of previous heads of the city, I will return my salary if elected in the mayoral by-election."

Maeng, a member of the People Power Party, held a press conference at the city hall briefing room that day and emphasized, "Out of the five mayors elected by popular vote, three have committed misconduct. I will break the chain of corruption."

He began by saying, "The key issue in this by-election is integrity. The heads of the city, who should be more ethical than anyone, have been punished, causing the reputation of our city to hit rock bottom, and the citizens have borne the consequences."

He continued, "In 2018, while serving as both the CEO of a comprehensive automobile repair company and a city council member, I generated sales of 1,745,000 won over ten months from vehicle maintenance related to the city hall, which was pointed out by the Chungnam Provincial Audit Office. A certain public official suggested, 'Why not change the business registration to someone else?' but I flatly refused," introducing an episode highlighting his integrity.

He further emphasized, "We are a young city. Only a clean and conscientious new figure can create a new Asan," and added, "To apologize for the immorality of previous mayors, if I become mayor, I will either not receive a salary or donate it to a volunteer organization."

Regarding the by-election being held due to the fault of former mayor Park Kyungkwi, who is from the same party, he stated, "Public officials must act without a single blemish before the citizens," and added, "One should not step forward only when times are good, while avoiding responsibility in difficult times."

Regarding his plans after being elected, he said, "The budget for this year has already been passed," and added, "Rather than pursuing something new, I will prioritize stabilizing city administration."