"We Just Elected Them, Only to Do This?" Outrage Erupts Over Daegu City Council's Overseas Training Plans a Month After Launch

The Daegu City Council is facing controversy over the appropriateness of promoting overseas study tours by standing committee just about a month after its launch.

According to the Daegu City Council on Thursday (July 30), each standing committee plans to carry out overseas training lasting around 4 days and 3 nights starting in September.

Nearby Asian countries such as Chengdu in China, Osaka in Japan, and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam are being discussed as training destinations, with a budget of a little over 2 million won to be allocated per council member.

However, public sentiment remains critical as the newly formed council is pushing for overseas training ahead of legislative activities so soon after taking office.

A citizen identified as A remarked, "It is very disappointing to see newly elected local council members heading off on overseas study tours rather than showing themselves working hard for the citizens."

Criticism is growing even louder as local residents are experiencing severe hardships due to recent high inflation and climate disasters.

In fact, a significant number of basic local councils, such as district and county councils in the Daegu region, have been successively canceling or completely reevaluating their overseas training plans for this year as a way to share in the suffering of residents.

In response, the Daegu City Council explained, "There are opinions that the trips are necessary in their own right, as China, for instance, is a region with advanced AI where there is much to learn and observe regarding education in Daegu."

It also added, "We are still at the stage of gathering opinions by standing committee, and specific schedules have not been finalized. Even if we go on the training, we plan to choose Asian destinations to cut costs."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.