First-term lawmaker known as 'incinerator activist' says legitimate objection was ignored
A gavel-snatching incident disrupted the Suncheon City Council on Thursday as the newly launched 10th council, chaired by Speaker Yu Yeong-cheol, held its first round of standing committee assignments.
During the second plenary session of the 296th extraordinary session, first-term council member Jeong Su-jin was blocked from taking the floor after being reassigned away from the Urban Construction Committee she had listed as her top preference. She walked up to the speaker's podium, grabbed the gavel and ran out of the chamber.
Jeong, who won her seat with the backing of Democratic Party National Assembly member Kim Mun-su of the local "Ma" electoral district (Yeonhyang-dong and Jogok-dong), had led the campaign against an incinerator project in Yeonhyang-dong pushed by former Mayor No Gwan-gyu. She entered the council for the first time this term.
Drawing on her record as a leader of the incinerator opposition committee, Jeong had been eager to use a seat on the Urban Construction Committee to scrutinize what she called the improper site selection and alleged manipulation of a feasibility study by the city administration.
According to council members, Speaker Yu had collected members' standing committee preferences — ranked first through third — and initially assigned Jeong to the Urban Construction Committee on Wednesday, only to switch her to the Culture and Economy Committee on the day of the session.
Yu said he reassigned Jeong because her prior role as policy director of a citywide civic coalition opposing the Suncheon next-generation public resource facility — the incinerator — before the June 3 local elections made her subject to disqualification as an interested party. He said he had sought the understanding of the relevant parties before placing her on the Culture and Economy Committee.
"Under Suncheon City Council ordinances and rules, members submit their top three standing committee preferences and assignments are made at the speaker's discretion," Yu said. "I explained to Rep. Jeong in advance why she could not be assigned to the Urban Construction Committee." He added that after consulting the council's legal adviser, he determined that while her appointment to the committee posed no legal problem, it would be appropriate for her to recuse herself or be excluded from any matters related to the incinerator.
When the gavel disappeared, Yu was briefly flustered but quickly recovered, using a spare gavel prepared by the council secretariat to put the standing committee lineup to a vote and pass it as originally proposed.
Jeong defended her actions, saying local council members are elected to represent residents and that barring them from relevant committees on the basis of pre-election civic activism would mean anyone with a background in community organizing could never work on related policy. "The speaker refused to accept my legitimate objection, so I took the gavel as a form of protest," she said.
The commotion was broadcast live on monitors throughout city hall, where most staff watched the scene unfold. The public gallery was filled with civic groups — including an administrative and council monitoring coalition — as well as residents with an interest in local politics.
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