"I'm a City Council Member": Drunk and Disorderly Again Over Unpaid Taxi Fare and Verbal Abuse

A third-term local council member in Gangwon Province is under police investigation for allegedly causing a disturbance at a police substation while intoxicated.

The Chuncheon Police Station in Gangwon Province announced today (July 29) that it has booked and is investigating Chuncheon City Council member Kim Ji-sook of the Democratic Party of Korea on charges of causing a disturbance while intoxicated at a government office.

Council Member Kim is accused of causing a disturbance, including hurling verbal abuse at police officers while drunk, at the Hupyeong Police Substation in Chuncheon at around 10:00 PM yesterday.

It was confirmed that at the time, a taxi driver brought Council Member Kim to the substation after she failed to pay the taxi fare.

Police explained that she was not arrested at the scene considering that her identity was clear and there was no risk of flight.

It was reported that Council Member Kim later sustained minor head injuries after falling while intoxicated and requested assistance from the fire authorities.

It was revealed that late last year, Council Member Kim had previously caused a disturbance by visiting a police substation without paying a taxi fare and flaunting her status.

At the time, the City Council's Special Committee on Ethics stopped short of issuing disciplinary action, instead recommending measures to prevent a recurrence, but a similar incident has occurred again just about four months later.

Consequently, the Chuncheon City Council and her political party plan to soon convene respective ethics committees to re-discuss whether to take disciplinary action against Council Member Kim.

Council Member Kim issued an apology, stating, "I am reflecting on causing a controversy and apologize for causing concern," adding, "I will faithfully cooperate with the investigation."

Meanwhile, local political circles strongly criticized the fact that this incident took place at a site responsible for public safety in Council Member Kim's constituency, urging her political party to conduct a thorough investigation into the truth.

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