Sang Byungheon, a member of the National Assembly, leaving the courtroom after receiving a first trial verdict in Courtroom 317 at Daejeon District Court. / Photo by Yonhap News
On July 25, a statement was issued regarding the status of Sang Byungheon, a member of the Sejong City Council from the Democratic Party of Korea, who was brought to trial and sentenced to one year and six months in prison on charges of forcibly molesting a fellow male council member.
On this day, the Sejong Participatory Autonomy Citizens' Coalition (hereinafter referred to as the Citizens' Coalition) released a statement, saying, "Council member Sang Byungheon received a prison sentence of one year and six months in the first trial," and pointed out, "Council member Sang's perception of his own wrongdoing, the council's lethargic response after the incident, and the Democratic Party's complacency regarding issues between same-gender council members are all problematic." The statement continued, "We express deep concern over the council's lethargic response and the complacent attitude of the Sejong City branch of the Democratic Party of Korea toward this issue."
In particular, the statement targeted council member Sang, stating, "Although there is still room for appeal and a final verdict has not been reached, inappropriate conduct by a council member who represents the will of the citizens must be strictly sanctioned."
The statement further emphasized, "City council members who represent the public must uphold the public interest and moral standards regardless of whether legal punishment is imposed, and in cases of serious social criticism, they must demonstrate even greater responsibility. The council must also make efforts to prevent recurrence of such incidents."
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