"Transparent Standards Needed for Media Publicity Spending"...Daegu City Council Member Hajung Hwan Points Out in Administrative Audit

The Culture and Welfare Committee of the Daegu City Council (Chairman Park Changseok) conducted an administrative audit on November 19, targeting the Public Relations Office, the Daegu Sports Council, and the Daegu Disabled Sports Council. Regarding the Public Relations Office, the committee called for maintaining momentum in municipal publicity and strengthening the media response system. For the sports councils, they urged identification of the reasons behind poor performance at the National Sports Festival and the establishment of measures to promote sports for the disabled.

First, the administrative audit of the Public Relations Office focused on the overall media response system, including reviewing the direction of municipal publicity in light of the mayoral vacancy, the use of YouTube, and responses to media misreporting.

Hajung Hwan, Daegu City Council Member

Chairman Park Changseok (Gunwi County) emphasized the need to maintain consistency and momentum in municipal publicity regardless of the presence or absence of a mayor. He pointed out the necessity of strengthening proactive publicity to inspire hope among citizens and called for expanding the production and promotion of video content on major Daegu events and current issues.

Committee member Lee Jaesuk (Dong-gu 4) reviewed the operational direction and content strategy of the Daegu City YouTube channel, checked plans for introducing more creative and participatory content compared to other local governments, and urged the enhancement of content, including short-form videos and collaborations with local creators.

Committee member Hajung Hwan (Dalseong-gun 1) stressed the need to establish transparent and consistent standards for publicity spending, which has been repeatedly pointed out each year. He also stated that responses to critical articles should be handled through explanations and communication, and that advertisements necessary for municipal publicity should be executed fairly, regardless of the editorial stance of the media outlet.

Committee member Ha Byungmoon (Buk-gu 4) urged the city to more actively promote Daegu’s achievements, especially as publicity could weaken during the mayoral vacancy. He reviewed whether the media response to sensitive issues such as recruitment controversies was functioning properly and requested further strengthening of media management systems to prevent public misunderstandings in the future.

Committee member Kim Jaewoo (Dong-gu 1) pointed out that Daegu has fewer publicity ambassadors compared to other cities and provinces, reviewed the selection criteria and overall management system, and requested improvements to address deficiencies in related ordinances. He also called for expanding the number and diversity of ambassadors to enhance Daegu’s city image and competitiveness.

Committee member Jeong Ilgyun (Suseong-gu 1) emphasized the importance of media publicity as negative press reports have increased public concern following the mayoral vacancy. He reviewed the status of press release distribution, checked the reasons for suspending the Beomeo Intersection electronic billboard, and confirmed the appropriateness of related budget execution.

Committee member Kim Jubeom (Dalseo-gu 6) pointed out insufficient explanations regarding major controversies, called for more proactive fact-checking and responses to inaccurate reporting, and criticized the operation of the Children’s Press Corps as being merely formal. He urged improvements to ensure that programs such as article-writing education and field reporting are implemented meaningfully in line with their original purpose.

The subsequent administrative audit of the Daegu Sports Council and Daegu Disabled Sports Council continued with discussions on poor performance at the National Sports Festival and the need to devise measures to promote sports for the disabled.

Chairman Park Changseok pointed out that Daegu’s performance at the National Sports Festival has been on a continuous decline and called for a thorough analysis of the reasons for poor results and the development of strategies to improve athletic performance.

Committee member Lee Jaesuk reviewed the status of fundraising by member sports organizations, encouraged further fundraising efforts, and requested that support funds for member organizations be distributed under clear standards to prevent concentration on specific groups or sports.

Committee member Hajung Hwan noted that increasing the recruitment budget for top athletes has not led to improved performance among participating athletes, urged efforts to enhance athletes’ skills, and called for a thorough review of work regulations to ensure overtime allowances are paid according to the rules.

Committee member Kim Jaewoo examined the reasons behind poor results at the recently held National Disabled Sports Festival, called for stronger communication with local disabled athletes, and urged active efforts in discovering new athletes and training coaches.

Committee member Jeong Ilgyun mentioned that, unlike other metropolitan and special cities, Daegu is the only city where district and county-level disabled sports councils have not been established. He encouraged active establishment of such councils and called for the discovery of outstanding athletes in the private sector to strengthen regional sports competitiveness.

Committee member Kim Jubeom (Dalseo-gu 6) pointed out that the frequency of exercise among disabled residents and awareness of nearby sports facilities in Daegu are at the lowest level compared to other regions. He called for the discovery of sports disciplines that reflect actual demand among the disabled and urged improvements in accessibility to community sports facilities.