Suncheon Mayor-Elect's Transition Team Pick Sparks Outrage Over Slur Against Disabled Son

Controversy is mounting around Son Hun-mo, the mayor-elect of Suncheon from the Democratic Party of Korea, after he named a figure who hurled vicious verbal abuse at the family of incumbent Suncheon Mayor Noh Kwan-kyu—an independent who lost the June 3 local elections—as co-chairman of the transition committee for the ninth popularly elected term of city government.

According to reporting compiled by Seoul Economic Daily Wednesday, Mayor-Elect Son recently listed Kim Dong-hyun, the former chairman of the Korea Local Finance Association who is at the center of the controversy, alongside Park Ki-young, a professor at Sunchon National University, as co-chairmen of the ninth-term transition committee at the closing ceremony of his election campaign.

Regarding this, Mayor Noh Kwan-kyu vented his anger on his Facebook the previous day, writing, "I never dreamed in my wildest dreams that my son, who overcame a massive brain hemorrhage, would be used as election material." He added, "I am a powerless father who could not even officially punish the person—who is the mayor-elect's campaign head and now transition committee chairman—for the verbal abuse he spewed, saying, 'His blood is dirty, that's why a damned kid like that was born.'"

He went on to criticize, "After hearing those words, I could not sleep for several days out of anger, and even now it remains a deep wound for my family." He continued, "What I feel every time we go through an election is that the disabled people and families around us are always the weak link, while those who have more than enough are the strong link."

Mayor Noh's eldest son is a severely disabled person who, after suffering a serious brain hemorrhage, has difficulty moving and has lost his ability to speak. A wife who suffers from Parkinson's disease, a younger son who cares for his older brother around the clock—Mayor Noh Kwan-kyu's painful family circumstances are already well known in the Suncheon community.

On top of this, a person who appeared to be a supporter of candidate Son posted an inhumane comment on such a heinous post, writing, "What beast who couldn't even heal his own wife claims he'll heal citizens?" Mayor-Elect Son has remained silent on the matter to this day, drawing public scorn.

Kim Dong-hyun, the former chairman pointed to as the party at the center of the controversy, previously stated through a Facebook explanation that the remark was not something he said directly. "That remark was merely a quotation of something circulating in public during an exchange with a Facebook user, and was not a statement I made directly," he said, while adding, "I feel ashamed about the undignified quotation and apologize to disabled people, their families, and citizens." However, suspicions have been raised that he quoted a rumor circulating around without verification, defaming Mayor Noh and his family in unspeakable terms.

As this controversy erupted, it was reported that Kim Dong-hyun was designated as vice chairman of the transition committee.

Apart from the heinous verbal abuse, this appears to be an unavoidable choice, as Article 2 of the ordinance on the operation of the Suncheon mayoral transition committee stipulates that the committee be composed including one chairman and one vice chairman. Local political circles see the appointment structure as having been adjusted after concerns were raised that the original co-chairman system did not align with the intent of the ordinance.

Amid such a situation in which painful family history has been used in political strife, Mayor-Elect Son's path through the ninth popularly elected term is also expected to be rough. Having become mayor-elect with an approval rating that did not even reach half, supporters of rival candidates have signaled lawsuits against candidate Son over alleged violations of election law. It is truly one obstacle after another.

The "politics of integration based on mutual harmony, solidarity, and cooperation" that Mayor-Elect Son emphasized in his acceptance remarks now appears effectively out of reach.