[Column] 'Indictment' Is Not Guilt... Nonsan Politics Has Collapsed from the Principles

Silent During Hwang Myungseon's Case, Aggressive Only Toward Baek Seonghyeon...
The Reality of Selective Justice Revealed

Nonsan City Hall Exterior View

On January 15, at the Nonsan City Council in South Chungcheong Province, local council members from the Democratic Party of Korea held a press conference, simultaneously raising demands for an apology, questions about the use of taxpayer money, and suspicions of third-party payment of legal fees, all in response to the prosecution's indictment of Nonsan Mayor Baek Seonghyeon for violating the Public Official Election Act (prohibition of donations).

An indictment is the starting point of a judicial process. It is not a determination of guilt. Nevertheless, the Democratic Party moved to politically condemn the mayor based on an issue that is still under investigation and trial.

In effect, the Democratic Party council members have imposed a presumption of guilt. The bigger problem is that this attack is not based on consistent principles.

In December 2014, then-Nonsan Mayor Hwang Myungseon, now a National Assembly member, was also indicted by the prosecution for violating the Public Official Election Act, following a similar process of being reported to the election commission, investigated by the police, and then indicted by the prosecution, just like Mayor Baek.

However, at that time, Democratic Party council members in Nonsan did not hold a press conference, nor did they demand an apology. There were no claims that public trust in the administration had been undermined.

Notably, even when it was revealed that Representative Hwang had installed a massage chair in the official vehicle for personal use during his tenure as mayor, the Democratic Party remained silent.

Although this was a clear issue of official ethics involving the use of taxpayer money, no official objections were raised.

The Democratic Party's standards were not consistent; only the target was different.

This press conference was held just a few months before the local elections scheduled for June. It is difficult to see this as unrelated to the political calendar.

What is even more concerning is the lack of a sense of responsibility for administrative stability. More than 1,400 public officials are working in Nonsan City.

If the Democratic Party is a responsible political force, given the variable of the Nonsan mayor's indictment, it would be normal to at least deliver a message such as, "Public officials should continue to run the administration without wavering." However, there was no such mention at this press conference.

The suspicion of third-party payment of legal fees is also currently under investigation by the prosecution. Raising this as a political issue before any conclusion has been reached shows that the battle for public opinion has taken precedence over uncovering the truth.

The presumption of innocence is a fundamental principle of democracy. When this principle is only applied to one's own side and disappears for the opposition, political trust collapses.

The administration of Nonsan is not a prop for the election strategy of a particular party. Rather than raising issues to correct municipal administration, this press conference was closer to a political stage intended to disrupt it. When politics loses its principles, the damage ultimately falls on the citizens.