A Gwangmyeong city council member who had belonged to the Democratic Party of Korea quit the party after controversy erupted over news that the member visited a hotel with a woman during a council session. The Gwangmyeong City Council has begun official disciplinary proceedings against the member.
According to the Gwangmyeong City Council on the 12th, the council held the 302nd first regular session the previous day and referred the "motion to demand disciplinary action against Council Member A," received that day, to the Special Committee on Ethics.
A motion for Council Member A, who had been a Commissioner of the ethics committee, to resign from the committee was also approved. The council plans to review whether Council Member A violated the duty to maintain dignity as a public official.
The controversy erupted on the afternoon of the 10th, during the regular session, when local media reported that Council Member A was seen leaving a hotel in Geumcheon District, Seoul, with a woman.
Council Member A told the Gwangmyeong Local Newspaper, "As a man, I had an ulterior motive and went to the room, but the woman refused, so I did not cross the line," and "We came right out of the room, had coffee while chatting about this and that at the hotel coffee shop, and then left."
The member added by way of explanation that "the standing committee meeting had also ended in the morning, and don't city council members have private lives, too?"
The exact relationship between Council Member A and the woman, or what occurred in the hotel room, has not been objectively confirmed.
However, as criticism mounted immediately after the report, Council Member A left the Democratic Party of Korea on the night of the 10th.
Civic groups and the opposition party also called for disciplinary action against Council Member A. The Gwangmyeong Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice issued a statement saying, "Even if the council member had finished all council business, the member confessed to going to a hotel in broad daylight with some unknown woman. It is doubtful whether this can be covered as a private matter," and, "We cannot hide our dismay at this incident that has shamed citizens."
It also demanded that the council determine the facts through the Special Committee on Ethics, impose stern disciplinary action against Council Member A, and issue an official apology for the misconduct of one of its members.
Four council members from the People Power Party in the Gwangmyeong City Council also called for the highest level of discipline the same day, saying, "Council Member A, who disappointed citizens, should immediately resign from the council."
Under the Local Autonomy Act, disciplinary measures for local council members include warnings or apologies in an open meeting, suspension from attendance for up to 30 days, and expulsion.