Three-term Chuncheon council member investigated after drunken disturbance at police substation
Councilmember Kim Ji-sook allegedly swore at police officers and drunkenly misbehaved after being brought to the station for failing to pay her taxi fare.
Chuncheon City Council member Kim Ji-sook of the Democratic Party, as seen on the council’s website.SCREEN CAPTURE
A three-term council member in Gangwon is under police investigation after allegedly causing a disturbance while intoxicated at a police substation.
Police booked Kim Ji-sook, a Democratic Party (DP)member of the Chuncheon City Council, on suspicion of disorderly conduct while intoxicated at a government office, the Chuncheon Police Station said Wednesday.
Kim swore at police officers and caused a disturbance at the Hupyeong Police Substation in Chuncheon around 10 p.m. on Tuesday, police said. A taxi driver had brought her to the substation after she failed to pay her fare. Officers did not arrest her at the scene since her identity was confirmed, she posed no flight risk and the disturbance was relatively minor.
Kim called emergency services and complained of a headache after leaving the substation. She was taken by ambulance to the emergency room at Hallym University Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital and treated for head swelling. Kim suffered a minor head injury after falling while intoxicated, reports said, and caused no further disturbance in the ambulance.
Kim was involved in a similar incident late last year, when a taxi driver took her to a police substation after she failed to pay the fare. She allegedly invoked her position as a councilor as she caused a disturbance, but faced neither criminal punishment nor disciplinary action at the time.
The Chuncheon City Council’s special ethics committee ruled in March that the earlier incident did not warrant disciplinary action. It nevertheless recommended measures to prevent a recurrence, saying her conduct had damaged the dignity of her office. The latest incident came about four months later.
The police logoNEWS1
The city council plans to convene its special ethics committee to discuss possible disciplinary action. TheDP's Gangwon chapter will also review the matter through its own ethics committee.
“I regret causing controversy and apologize for the concern I have caused,” Kim told Yonhap News Agency. “I will cooperate fully with the investigation.”
The Justice Party’s Gangwon chapter issued a statement criticizing the incident.
“Causing a drunken disturbance at a government office is a criminal act that disrupts the normal exercise of public authority,” the party said. “The Democratic Party, which has nominated Kim three times, must not take this matter lightly. It also bears responsibility for vetting candidates and overseeing its elected officials.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
