100일 넘게 의장 못 뽑은 대덕구의회…결국 구청장 ‘단식농성’ 선언

For over 100 days, the Daedeok-gu Assembly in Daejeon has been unable to elect a new Assembly Chairperson, resulting in the current Chairperson, Kim Chan-sul, declaring a prolonged hunger strike. Despite the ongoing impasse, the Daedeok Assembly's members are pushing forward with proposals to increase annual expenditure by 3.5%, which would impact essential expenses such as personnel costs and public service fees.

The assembly, which began on July 7th, has struggled to form a majority, with the Democratic Party and the Citizens Power Party each holding four seats. The Citizens Power Party argues that the Assembly needs a non-Democratic Party chairperson to provide checks and balances, while the Democratic Party insists on the current rules.

Attempts at mediation and consensus-building have been unsuccessful, leaving Daedeok-gu Assembly as the only one among 227 local assemblies in the country without a Chairperson. The assembly's stalled operations have delayed various legislative measures, including approved ordinances, budgets, and essential expenditures. Despite the ongoing deadlock, the assembly members have yet to agree on any concessions, and the public continues to bear the financial burden of the assembly's inefficiency.

In response to the crisis, Kim Chan-sul, the Daedeok-gu administrative chief, announced on December 12th that he would undertake a hunger strike until the assembly is fully operational. Kim had previously urged the assembly to find a resolution during his first visit to the "Town Hall Town Meeting" on November 30th, expressing his anger over the situation and urging for progress towards a functioning assembly.