PPP Ethics Committee to Launch Disciplinary Procedure Against Park Hee-young, Chief of Yongsan-gu, Who Argued Halloween Was “Not a Festival, But a Phenomenon”

Park Hee-young, the district mayor of Yongsan-gu, answers questions before the Public Administration and Security Committee in the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on November 7. Bak Min-gyu, Senior Reporter

The People Power Party (PPP) Ethics Committee is expected to launch disciplinary procedures against Park Hee-young, chief of the Yongsan-gu Office, who stirred controversy after claiming that the crowd gathering in Itaewon for Halloween, which caused the tragic incident, was “not a festival, but a phenomenon.”

According to a PPP insider on November 8, the party’s ethics committee will soon hold a meeting to determine whether to launch disciplinary action against Park Hee-young, a party member.

On October 31, Park visited a joint memorial center set up for the victims of the Itaewon crowd crush in front of Noksapyeong station in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. She then met with an MBC reporter and said, “This was not a festival. If it was, there should have been details of the event as well as an organizer, but there were no details. We have to see it as a kind of phenomenon, where people gather on Halloween Day.” Her statement ignited a heated debate. As for her responsibility in the tragic incident, the Yongsan district mayor said, “We did everything to strategically prepare for this day (Halloween). We did everything we could at the gu office,” and drew the line. It was reported that Park had attended a local festival in Uiryeong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do, her hometown, on October 29 in response to an invitation from the local government, but an allegation was raised that she did not attend the festival but took part in a family affair, a memorial service for her ancestors. The allegation was raised by lawmaker Yong Hye-in of the Basic Income Party, in a plenary session of the Public Administration and Security Committee at the National Assembly on Monday.

On Tuesday, the PPP insider told the reporter over the phone that Park’s inappropriate comment turned the public away from the party and said, “It is highly likely for the ethics committee to discuss disciplinary measures according to the party constitution and regulations.” The PPP ethics committee is expected to review the case and see if Park’s comment failed to fulfill the duty to maintain dignity (Article 4 of the Ethics Regulation).

Previously on September 29, the ethics committee decided on a six-month suspension of party membership rights concerning lawmaker Kim Sung-won, after he said, “I wish it would rain. So we can look good in the pictures,” in an area recovering from a flood. At the time, the committee explained that Kim made a slip of the tongue with a comment that was far from public sentiment, damaging the party’s reputation and turning the public away from the party, and claimed he violated Article 4 of the Ethics Regulation.

Lawmaker Lee Man-hee, the chief of a special committee on the Itaewon crowd crush investigation and safety measures, appeared on the CBS radio show, Kim Hyun-jung’s News Show, on Tuesday and said that Park would have to take responsibility for whatever she was responsible for in connection to the tragic incident.