Suspension of Jeong Jae-mok, vice chair of Daegu Nam-gu Council, due to aiding drunk driving

Jeong Jae-mok, the vice chair of the Daegu Nam-gu Council, who was sent to prosecution for aiding drunk driving, has ultimately been expelled from his position.

On the 22nd, the Daegu Nam-gu Council held a plenary session for its 296th extraordinary meeting and voted on the expulsion of Councilor Jeong.

Seven out of the eight sitting council members attended the session, excluding Jeong, and they conducted a closed voting process, passing the expulsion unanimously.

The expulsion proposal passed unanimously

Councilor Jeong is accused of switching drivers after drinking and driving at a restaurant in Daegu's Dalseo District back in April to avoid police enforcement.

At that time, the blood alcohol concentration of the friend who took over the steering wheel was at a level that would lead to a license suspension, while Councilor Jeong's was reported to be below 0.03%.

During the investigation, the police confirmed through CCTV analysis that Councilor Jeong was in control of the steering wheel before departure and was subsequently prosecuted without detention for aiding drunk driving.

Local citizen organizations welcome the decision and urge local council reform

Upon the decision to expel Councilor Jeong, local citizen organizations expressed their unanimous approval and stressed the need for fundamental reforms in local councils.

The Daegu Citizens' Solidarity stated in a press release, "The Nam-gu Council, which rejected Councilor Jeong's motion of no confidence during the extraordinary meeting in June, has accepted public sentiment following criticism from civil society and the expulsion request from civic groups, as well as the ethics committee’s recommendation for expulsion. It may be late, but it is a commendable action."

The Daegu Citizens' Solidarity also pointed out, "In recent years, there have been various corruption and ethics violations in the 8th basic council, resulting in a sharp rise in negative public sentiment regarding the existence of basic councils."

In response, they proposed reforms including the strengthening of the composition and function of ethics advisory committees, the disclosure of activity expense usage and tightening of payment standards, the prohibition of concurrent positions for local council members, and the establishment of an evaluation body involving experts and citizens under the council.

The Daegu Citizens' Organization Coalition also welcomed the decision, stating, "Unlike the disconnected decisions made by the Nam-gu Council in the past, the late passage of the expulsion motion is a very good outcome."

Furthermore, they emphasized, "If Councilor Jeong has even a small sense of conscience, he should accept this humbly and resign from his position as a local council member," stressing that political parties and local councils must not ignore public opinion but strive to create transparent and ethical local councils.

The Ethics Review Advisory Committee and the ethics committee had previously recommended 'expulsion' for Councilor Jeong, and with this decision from the plenary session, his loss of council membership has been finalized.

Image source: Jeong Jae-mok, vice chair of the Daegu Nam-gu Council / Nine organizations including the Daegu Citizens' Organization Coalition held a press conference in front of the Daegu Nam-gu Council on the 7th, urging the expulsion of council member Jeong Jae-mok, who was prosecuted for aiding drunk driving. / Provided by Daegu Citizens' Organization Coalition