City Councilman Under Fire for Visiting Hotel with Woman During Session, Claims It Was Private Matter

The city council has initiated official disciplinary procedures against a city councilman who has sparked controversy after visiting a hotel with a woman while the council was in session.

The Gwangmyeong City Council in Gyeonggi Province held a plenary session yesterday (September 11) and resolved to refer Councilman A to the Special Committee on Ethics.

The controversy began when local media outlets reported that on the afternoon of the 10th, Councilman A visited a hotel in Geumcheon-gu, Seoul, with a woman identified as B.

According to the reports, Councilman A conducted a settlement review meeting of the standing committee that morning, had lunch with fellow council members, and then drove his own vehicle to the hotel.

He was subsequently captured coming out of the hotel with woman B at around 4:30 PM, during working hours while the council session was underway.

As the controversy escalated following the reports, Councilman A submitted a notice of withdrawal from the Democratic Party late that night.

The Gwangmyeong Coalition for Economic Justice issued a statement criticizing the incident, saying, "This incident has gone beyond the scope of private life," and adding, "We cannot help but deplore that just two months after the opening of the 10th Gwangmyeong City Council, an incident regarding a councilman's conduct has brought shame upon the citizens."

Furthermore, the coalition demanded that the city council issue an official apology to the citizens, uncover the truth behind the incident, and impose strict disciplinary action against Councilman A.

Regarding the incident, according to reports by the Gwangmyeong Regional Newspaper, Councilman A explained, "I went to the room with an ulterior motive as a man, but the woman refused, so we did not cross the line," adding, "All we did after coming out of the room was drink coffee and talk."

At the same time, he offered explanations such as the fact that the standing committee meeting had concluded in the morning and that council members are also entitled to a private life.

Under the current Local Autonomy Act, the four types of disciplinary measures that can be imposed on local council members are a warning in a public meeting, a public apology, suspension of attendance for up to 30 days, and expulsion.

To pass a resolution for expulsion among these measures, the approval of at least two-thirds of the registered council members is required.

(Reported by Jo Gi-ho | Video by Na Hong-hee | Graphics by Lee Jeong-ju | Produced by SBS Digital News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.