[Exclusive] ‘Former Spouse Hiring Allegations’ Heo Jeong-mi Bupyeong District Council Ethics Committee Activated… Full Review Commences

The Ethics Committee for Heo Jeong-mi, the Chair of the Urban Environment Committee of the Bupyeong District Council, who has been requested for disciplinary action due to allegations of inappropriate hiring of a former spouse and receiving tax salaries, has officially begun its activities.

The Bupyeong District Council Ethics Committee (Chair: Jeong Ye-ji) convened its first meeting at 10 AM on the 20th to discuss the disciplinary procedures against Councilor Heo and the direction of future reviews. The meeting was held in private due to the sensitivity of the matter, with only Chair Jeong Ye-ji and the ethics committee members present to finalize the detailed operational schedule.

This ethics committee was formed after the disciplinary request submitted by eight councilors, including Jeong Han-sol, was reported to the plenary session and officially referred.

The biggest issue at hand is whether there was a conflict of interest in the process where Councilor Heo's former spouse, Mr. A, received over 17 million won in tax salaries through projects related to Councilor Heo's jurisdiction. Additionally, the allegations of external pressure in the hiring process of Mr. A at the Bupyeong District Facility Management Corporation, raised by the investigative media outlet ‘News Hada’, are expected to be a key variable in the review scope.

During the meeting, Councilor Yeom Myung-ja proposed to add the ‘request for the attendance of relevant public officials’ to the agenda for clearer fact-finding, which was unanimously adopted by the committee. Accordingly, testimonies from current public officials are expected to be a turning point in clarifying the allegations during the review process.

According to comprehensive coverage by the Autonomous Legislative Briefing, the ethics committee plans to hold about three more meetings in the future.

The plan is to ensure the objectivity and fairness of the disciplinary action through the hearing of statements from the accused Councilor Heo Jeong-mi and the requesting Councilor Jeong Han-sol, as well as consultations from the ‘Ethics Review Advisory Committee’ composed of private experts. The committee is known to conduct the entire review process in private, but will only make the meetings public during the final decision-making.

Previously, Councilor Heo had maintained a strong stance, threatening legal action such as defamation against fellow councilors who raised the allegations during the 274th extraordinary session plenary meeting. However, local civic groups and residents are urging severe punishment, stating that the mere suspicion of using taxpayer money to support the livelihood of a former spouse is a serious violation of the duty to maintain dignity as a public official.

As the Bupyeong District Council Ethics Committee faces intense criticism from the community, all eyes are on what conclusion it will draw, as well as the upcoming clarification procedures and advisory committee recommendations in the local political arena.