Three-term Chuncheon city councilwoman booked for drunken rampage at police substation

A three-term Chuncheon city councilwoman has been booked on charges of causing a drunken disturbance at a local police substation.

The Chuncheon Police Station in Gangwon Province said Wednesday it had booked Kim Ji-suk, a Chuncheon City Council member, without detention on charges of causing a drunken disturbance at a public office, and that she is currently under investigation.

Kim is accused of hurling profanities at officers and causing a scene at the Hupyeong police substation in Chuncheon at around 10:17 p.m. Wednesday.

A taxi driver had brought Kim to the substation after she refused to pay her fare.

Officers arranged for the fare to be charged to Kim's card and sent her on her way, but she returned to the substation and again verbally abused officers and caused a disturbance.

Police decided not to arrest her on the spot, determining that her identity had been confirmed and that the disturbance was relatively minor.

After leaving the substation, Kim called 119 herself, saying she had a headache, and was taken by ambulance to the emergency room at Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital, where she received treatment for swelling on her head.

There were no further incidents inside the ambulance. Kim is believed to have sought help from fire department paramedics after sustaining a minor head injury when she fell while intoxicated.

This is not the first time Kim has caused such a disturbance. Late last year, she boarded a taxi while drunk, refused to pay the fare, and was brought to a police substation by the driver, where she caused a scene by invoking her status as a council member. She faced no criminal charges or disciplinary action over that incident.

In March, the Chuncheon City Council's ethics committee voted to recommend that Kim's disciplinary case be closed without punishment, while urging her not to repeat such behavior — yet a similar incident has now occurred just over four months later.

The Chuncheon City Council plans to convene its ethics committee soon to decide whether to pursue disciplinary action against Kim.