[Reporter's Desk] Assemblywoman Heo Myungsook's Double Standards in Nonsan City Council Betray Public Trust

Nonsan City Council Building Exterior

On September 22, at the main hall of the Nonsan City Council in South Chungcheong Province, a classic case of "double standards" was on full display.

Assemblywoman Heo Myungsook (People Power Party, Proportional Representation) targeted Assemblyman Seo Won, declaring that "citizens do not want council members to abuse their power." However, she conveniently ignored the fact that she herself was punished by the judiciary last year for unlawfully requesting a fellow council member's personal information, an incident that also led to disciplinary action against the relevant public official.

Assemblywoman Heo raised her voice, stating, "I cannot tolerate the council, which is funded by taxpayers, wasting administrative resources for political purposes." But how does she explain her own past actions, when she tried to obtain details of subsidies received by a fellow council member by leveraging her position? Despite the pressure placed on public officials and the resulting disciplinary measures, she has yet to offer a single word of reflection or apology.

Assemblywoman Heo currently serves as the chairperson of the council's Special Ethics Committee. But can someone with her own ethical shortcomings truly judge the morality of her colleagues and determine whether they should be disciplined? There is growing concern that the authority of the Ethics Committee is being seriously undermined by the behavior of its own members.

Furthermore, regarding the Social Welfare Council incident that Assemblywoman Heo criticized, an audio recording obtained by this newspaper reveals that Mayor Baek Seonghyeon and senior city officials pressured the board to change its members.

This is why citizens cannot accept the council's conclusion that "there was no external pressure" while ignoring the issue. This is not merely about a particular member abusing their power, but rather a legitimate inquiry into possible collusion between authority and administration.

Local councils are representative bodies tasked with oversight and checks on power. However, if council members refuse to acknowledge their own moral failings and focus solely on criticizing their colleagues, public trust in the council will erode even more rapidly. This is why Assemblywoman Heo must first restore trust in herself before criticizing others. If she fails to do so, she will no longer be able to avoid the sharp question of whether local councils should be abolished altogether.