City Council Member Assaults Official Over Omitted Speech; Union Protests as Council Member Keeps Seat

Gumi City Council Suspends Member for 30 Days
Criticism Mounts Over Light Punishment for Assaulting Public Official
Public Officials' Union and Political Circles Demand Expulsion

Gumi City Council. Photo by Asia Economy DB

The Gumi City Council has imposed a suspension on a city council member who assaulted a public official because his congratulatory remarks were omitted from a local event. Although there was strong sentiment that the seriousness of the incident warranted expulsion from the council, the relatively light punishment has led to criticism that the council is protecting its own members.

On June 23, the Gumi City Council announced that council member An Juchan, who assaulted a public official, was given a 30-day suspension from attending council sessions. On May 23, at the opening ceremony of the "Sweet Romance Night Market" at Indong Market in Gumi, An reportedly cursed at and slapped city council official A, allegedly because his congratulatory remarks had been omitted from the event.

As the controversy grew, An Juchan posted an apology on his Facebook page. He stated, "I once again deeply apologize to the victims whom I have directly hurt."

On the morning of the 23rd, members of the Gyeongsangbuk-do Public Officials Labor Union held a rally in front of Gumi City Hall in Gyeongsangbuk-do, demanding the expulsion and immediate resignation of Gumi City Council member An Juchan, who caused controversy by assaulting a public official. Yonhap News

However, the backlash continued to intensify. After the disciplinary action was decided, criticism from the public officials' union and local political circles grew even stronger. In a statement released on June 23, the Gumi City Public Officials Labor Union declared, "We pronounce the Gumi City Council dead for becoming an accomplice to violence," and emphasized, "This is political violence that sends a social message to all public officials nationwide that 'you can be assaulted at any time.'" The union also filed a police complaint against An Juchan on June 26 for assault and obstruction of official duties, and called on the council to expel him.

The Korean Confederation of Public Officials' Trade Unions also issued a statement, saying, "The Gumi City Council has betrayed both its citizens and the public service community. The Gumi City Council is dead."

The Democratic Party of Korea's Gyeongbuk Provincial Chapter also issued a statement, asserting, "The result of the (Gumi City Council) plenary session vote clearly demonstrates that People Power Party members are protecting their own," and criticized, "The People Power Party used its overwhelming majority in the council to ignore citizens' demands for expulsion."