Changwon City Council's 4th Term Final Extraordinary Session Ends Abruptly Due to Lack of Quorum

The final plenary session of the 4th Changwon Special City Council in South Gyeongsang Province ended without being convened due to a lack of a quorum.

On the morning of the 15th, the city council attempted to hold the 1st plenary session of the 152nd extraordinary meeting in the main chamber, but the meeting was adjourned as the required number of members for a quorum was not met.

The city council consists of a total of 43 members: 26 from the People Power Party and 17 from the Democratic Party of Korea. At least 22 members must be present to pass any agenda items.

Only 18 members of the People Power Party attended the plenary session that day.

The 1st Plenary Session of the 152nd Extraordinary Meeting of the Changwon City Council.
[Image Source: Screenshot from Changwon City Council YouTube Video]

Previously, the Democratic Party councilors announced a boycott, stating that this extraordinary session was convened at the request of the People Power Party without sufficient consultation and was an unusual session. As a result, all 17 Democratic Party members were absent that day.

It is understood that 8 People Power Party councilors were absent either due to personal reasons or simply did not attend.

The only agenda item tabled was a proposal from the People Power Party, urging a fact-finding investigation and preventive measures regarding the shortage of ballot papers in Changwon’s Seongsan-gu and other areas.

Assemblywoman Hwang Jeombok, who sponsored the proposal, stated, "During the 9th nationwide local elections, a shortage of ballot papers occurred at 91 polling stations across the country, and voting was temporarily suspended at 22 locations. In South Gyeongsang Province, it was revealed that additional ballot papers had to be supplied at eight polling stations, including two in Seongsan-gu, Changwon."

She continued, "The National Election Commission failed to properly carry out even its basic duties, exposing the overall laxity in the election management system. This incident also constitutes a serious violation of the principles of ballot paper management stipulated by the Public Official Election Act," adding, "As a result, voters were inconvenienced, suspicions and controversies regarding election fraud have intensified, and social conflict has been provoked."

She further called on the Central Election Commission to "officially apologize to voters who experienced inconvenience and confusion on election day and strictly hold those responsible for the poor election management accountable," urging, "Comprehensive inspections and system improvements are needed to prevent a recurrence."

In addition, she demanded that "the government and the National Assembly thoroughly investigate the circumstances and causes of the ballot paper shortage and clearly disclose the results to the public."

However, despite Speaker Son Taehwa declaring a recess due to the lack of a quorum, the number of members present did not increase, and the plenary session ended without addressing the agenda item.

Speaker Son stated, "The city council will do its utmost to fulfill its oversight and supervisory responsibilities entrusted by citizens until the final day of its term," and added, "I hope that, spurred by this extraordinary session, a culture of council members faithfully continuing their legislative duties with a sense of responsibility until the end of their terms, especially in election years four years from now, will take root."

He also expressed regret, saying, "Although we intended to handle all 17 ordinance bills pending automatic repeal regardless of the outcome, circumstances prevented us from doing so," and added, "The best way for local council members to repay citizens is to do their utmost not just on election day, but until the last day of their term at the end of June."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.