Hwang Sunho, Chairman of the Yangpyeong County Council and a member of the People Power Party, expressed his intention to resign from his post as chairman on October 15.
Hwang Sunho, Chairman of the Yangpyeong County Council. Screenshot from the Yangpyeong County Council website
In his resignation statement released that day, Chairman Hwang mentioned Mr. A, a Yangpyeong County official who died after being questioned by Special Prosecutor Min Junggi's team investigating allegations related to First Lady Kim Keonhee. He stated, "As of today, I will step down as chairman of the Yangpyeong County Council," adding, "This resignation is not to avoid responsibility, but rather my final act of respect to the deceased and a sincere apology to the people of the county."
He continued, "I could not fight alongside him, nor could I protect him. My failure to anticipate the loneliness and fear he must have felt is a grave mistake on my part."
Chairman Hwang said, "When I heard that a colleague with whom I had worked for the community for so long ultimately chose to leave on his own, I was left speechless," and described Mr. A, the head of Danwol-myeon, as "someone who always put the residents first and quietly fulfilled his responsibilities even in difficult situations."
He added, "To ensure this pain is not in vain, those of us who remain will seek the truth and work to create a Yangpyeong where we protect one another."
Chairman Hwang has served as the chairman of the second half of the 9th Yangpyeong County Council since July of last year.
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