HS Mayor Oh collides with council over free meals

By Kwon Mee-yoo

The conflict between Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) and the city council is growing fiercer after the latter passed an ordinance allowing free school meals for all elementary and middle schools after a bitter struggle, Wednesday.

The city government said it would exercise its veto on the municipal ordinance and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon went on leave Thursday, refusing to attend the council’s questioning of the administration.

The council has been dominated by the main opposition Democratic Party since the June 2 local election.

SMG spokesman Lee Jong-hyun said the council was pushing the unlawful free school meal ordinance and so the government would cease further administrative cooperation as it was proceeding with its schedule unilaterally.

The spokesman said the council is continuously forcing ordinances against the law and has created a vicious cycle of requesting reconsideration of issues and ultimately taking cases to the Supreme Court.

“The ordinance shifting financial and administrative burden to the city government is obviously illegal since authorization of free school meals is the sole prerogative of the superintendent of education,” Lee said.

He added that SMG has pointed out the unlawfulness of the ordinance several times, but the council passed it anyway.

Councilors accuse Mayor Oh of damaging the council’s right to check on city administration and asked him to attend the meeting and apologize.

“If he does not attend city council hearings, he is ignoring the law and regulations and refusing to carry out his duties entrusted to him by the citizens,” said Kim Myung-soo, a DP council member.