Public Outrage as Daegu City Council Pushes for Overseas Training Just a Month After Launch

The Daegu City Council is facing controversy over the appropriateness of pursuing overseas training for each standing committee just about a month after its inauguration.

According to the Daegu City Council today (July 30), it plans to carry out overseas training for each standing committee lasting around 3 days and 4 nights starting next 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 just over 2 million won per council member slated to be allocated.

However, citizens' views are critical regarding the fact that the newly launched council is pushing for overseas training ahead of legislative activities so soon after taking office.

A citizen identified as A said, "It is very disappointing to see newly elected local council members heading out for overseas training before showing how hard they work for the citizens."

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

In fact, many basic local councils, such as district and county councils in the Daegu region, are successively canceling or completely re-evaluating their overseas training plans for this year as a way to share 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 place with advanced AI, and we judged that there will be much to see, learn, and apply regarding education in the Daegu region."

It also added, "We are still in 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 regions to cut costs."

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