Council Member’s Romantic Gesture Raises Eyebrows: Public Proposal Draws Criticism

Democratic Party of Korea’s member Park Chul Soo
Publicly propose in the plenary session
“I did something I shouldn’t have done”

A council member from Gwangyang City, Jeonnam, is stirring up controversy by publicly proposing to a city hall official after a city council corrective question.

According to Gwangyang City Council on the 12th, it was reported that Councilman Park Chul Soo apologized for making a personal remark in the plenary session after the city council had corrective questions the previous day.

He continued, “I didn’t want to miss out on someone with a lot I don’t have. I thought I had to announce it publicly to win this woman, so I chose this method.”

Councilman Park Chul Soo is known to have asked a female city official of Gwangyang, calling her name, “Will you marry me?”

The official in question monitored the plenary session in real-time via internal TV. She was surprised when her name was mentioned, and it was reported that she happily accepted Council Member Park Chul Soo’s proposal when he came to her office with a bouquet after the session.

The two have been dating for about two months and are now engaged.

In a phone call with a media outlet, Council Member Park Chul Soo said, “There was a playful push from colleagues at a dinner party to connect me with my current fiancée. After that, I was attracted to her bold personality, and our relationship developed romantic.”

The reaction to Council Member Park’s public proposal has been cold. There have been continuous criticisms that it was inappropriate for a city council member to make a personal proposal in the plenary session, where public business is conducted. Criticisms also followed, saying it was inappropriate for a city council member.

In response, Council Member Park Chul Soo apologized, saying, “I expected there would be negative opinions from when I planned to propose publicly in the plenary session. I think it was inappropriate, and I’m sorry.”

While explaining his behavior, he said, “Even if I had to bear that, I wanted to convey my feelings.” He added, “The city council chair verbally warned me while congratulating me.”

Council Member Park Chul Soo created this situation, which earned him the title of “romantic politician” and the woman he loves.

Gwangyang City Council recorded the entire plenary session on the 11th, but it was reported that they deleted the part of Council Member Park Chul Soo’s public proposal. In response, netizens reacted with comments such as “Why did you delete the video of the public proposal?” and “Please release the video quickly,” showing their desire to see Council Member Park Chul Soo’s public proposal.

The two, who met at a late age, reportedly plan to get married this year. Council Member Park Chul Soo said about the controversy, “I did that because I didn’t want to lose her after meeting her at a late age,” and added, “I will humbly accept criticisms and pointings about this mistake.” He apologized sincerely, accepting the suggestions and promising to become a better city council member.