Thirteen Gyeonggi Mayors and Governors to Sue Democratic Party Spokesperson

Thirteen Mayors and County Governors Announce Joint Criminal Complaint
"Defamation Based on False Information"

Thirteen mayors and county governors from the Gyeonggi region, who recently canceled their overseas business trips due to heavy rains in northern Gyeonggi, have announced their intention to file a defamation lawsuit against Hwang Jeonga, spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Korea.

Logo of Gyeonggi-do Mayors and Governors Association. Provided by Gyeonggi-do Mayors and Governors Association.

On July 24, Ju Gwangdeok, Mayor of Namyangju and Chairman of the Gyeonggi-do Mayors and County Governors Association, along with 12 other mayors and governors, stated, "Spokesperson Hwang used expressions such as 'vacation tourism' and 'overseas trip to escape the heatwave' during a briefing on July 23. These are false statements," adding, "We plan to file a lawsuit."

The association explained the reason for the lawsuit by saying, "Ahead of next year's local elections, Spokesperson Hwang launched a malicious political attack based on false information, despite being aware of the process by which business trips to countries such as Australia and New Zealand were planned and subsequently canceled."

According to the mayors and governors, the business trip in question was an official schedule for benchmarking climate crisis response and renewable energy policies, and preparations had been underway for all mayors and governors since last year.

Initially scheduled for March or April, the trip was postponed due to national security instability, and, following voluntary discussions after the recent flood damage, it was decided to cancel the trip.

The cancellation was officially announced to the media at 2:22 p.m. on July 23, and was reported by multiple outlets 30 minutes later.

The association pointed out, "At 4:45 p.m. on the same day, Spokesperson Hwang disparaged the trip as 'vacation tourism' and an 'overseas trip to escape the heatwave' during a briefing at the National Assembly's communication center, and made false statements that the mayors and governors had escaped overseas while leaving disaster recovery to public officials."

They added, "Spokesperson Hwang also mentioned the full names of Ju Gwangdeok and the other 12 mayors and governors during the briefing at the National Assembly, and included emotional criticisms such as 'resign and go' and 'are you out of your mind.'"

The association stated, "This business trip plan was prepared for all mayors and governors regardless of political party, and in fact, there were cases where Democratic Party-affiliated heads of local governments applied but later declined to participate. Therefore, singling out only those affiliated with the People Power Party for criticism is a distortion and raises questions about political motives."

They further stated, "It is excessive political aggression to publicly criticize, by name, local government heads who decided to cancel their trips entirely and focus on on-site disaster response. Spokesperson Hwang Jeonga's remarks are a serious matter that severely damaged our reputations, and we will hold her legally accountable through criminal charges."