"You don't even have a good academic background?" Harsh Remarks to Netizen... Disciplinary Petition Filed Against Incheon City Council Member

A disciplinary petition has been submitted against Danbi Lee (37), a member of the Incheon City Council, who has sparked controversy after engaging in a heated exchange of harsh language with netizens on social networking services (SNS).

On June 11, fourteen members of the Incheon City Council submitted the relevant documents to the council's legislative affairs office, requesting that Lee be referred to the Special Ethics Committee. According to the council's meeting regulations, if more than one-fifth of the total council members (40 members) support a disciplinary petition, the requirements for referral to the Special Ethics Committee are met.

Kim Myungju, a council member from the Democratic Party, explained, "The chairperson of the city council is expected to decide whether to refer the case to the Special Ethics Committee," adding, "Since issues related to Councilor Lee have continued to arise, we discussed the matter with fellow council members and decided to submit a disciplinary petition."

Apology statement posted by Danbi Lee, Incheon City Council member. SNS capture

On June 5, Councilor Lee caused controversy by posting comments such as, "You don't even have a good academic background, right? lol," in response to a netizen's SNS post about Lee Junseok, a member of the Reform Party. When the netizen replied, "Sigh, it's disappointing that someone of this level is a council member," Lee responded, "Sigh, what kind of life did you lead from your teenage years to end up like that?"

In addition, Councilor Lee used harsh expressions on SNS, such as "In the end, you can't win with logic, you're just a pest lol," and "It's fine lol, do you think Lee Jaemyung's term will even last a year? lol, just watch lol." She also posted comments disparaging President Lee Jaemyung, engaging in further heated exchanges with other netizens.

Although Councilor Lee posted an apology, stating, "I apologize for my inappropriate language and behavior," more than 1,000 posts demanding her expulsion have been uploaded to the Incheon City Council website. Some netizens have also filed a petition with the Seoul Bar Association requesting disciplinary action against Lee, who is a lawyer.