2024-01-08 06:43:33
Heo Sik, Chairman of Incheon City Council. /Provided by Incheon City Council
Incheon City Council Chairman Heo Sik, who caused controversy by distributing a newspaper reporting that the May 18 Democratization Movement was a civil war to fellow city council members, submitted a resignation letter to the People Power Party, his political party.
According to the Incheon City Council on the 8th, Chairman Heo Sik submitted his withdrawal from the party just before the Ethics Committee of the People Power Party Incheon City Party was held on the afternoon of the 7th.
The Incheon City Party of the People Power Party was scheduled to discuss disciplinary measures against Chairman Heo, who distributed newspapers containing content such as ‘May 18 was a civil war led by DJ forces and North Korea’ to city council members at the ethics committee. It is said that there was also a request from the Central Party to ‘open an ethics committee to discuss disciplinary measures.’
An official from the city party’s ethics committee said, “It is clearly wrong for a responsible public official to distribute content that lacks evidence and is difficult to garner public consensus,” and added, “It is also out of line with the party’s basic understanding of history.” He continued, “If there was wrongdoing, it was a natural step to discuss disciplinary action through the ethics committee.”
However, the ethics committee was not held because Chairman Heo submitted a notice of withdrawal from the party to the city party before the ethics committee was held. This is because it is impossible to discipline personnel who are not People Power Party members. The withdrawal notice takes effect immediately upon submission.
The Incheon City Council Ethics Special Committee is separately considering whether to hold a meeting to discuss disciplinary measures against Chairman Heo Sik. The Special Ethics Committee of the City Council may be opened when there is a request from the City Chairperson or the Chairman of the Special Ethics Committee, or when more than one-fifth of the members request it.
Kim Myeong-joo, chairman of the Special Ethics Committee, said, “After waiting for Chairman Heo Sik’s judgment on his future actions, we will decide whether or not to hold a special ethics committee regarding this controversy.” The Special Committee on Ethics can impose disciplinary action such as expelling members from their positions, suspending attendance at plenary sessions within 30 days, and issuing an apology or warning at a public meeting.
Chairman Heo Sik said, “There were lawmakers who expressed interest in the newspaper, so I just used it for reference. I don’t think I did anything wrong, but I submitted a notice of withdrawal from the party as a matter of opinion.” Regarding the holding of the ethics special committee, he said, “I don’t think this controversy should be submitted to the city council ethics special committee agenda.”
Meanwhile, Chairman Heo Sik caused controversy on the 2nd by distributing the ‘May 18 Special Edition’ published by a media company to the offices of 40 city council members. This newspaper, which has a total of 40 pages, contains content such as ‘May 18 was a civil war led by DJ forces and North Korea’ and ‘Many of those who contributed to May 18 are not related to May 18’.
City council members from the Democratic Party of Korea are calling for Chairman Heo Sik to resign from his position, saying he “tried to disparage the May 18 Democratization Movement,” and some People Power Party lawmakers are also criticizing Chairman Heo Sik’s actions, saying they were inappropriate.
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