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Seoul council trips put tourist stops and approval rules under scrutiny

An investigation follows Seongbuk councillors from airport questions to overseas sightseeing, then examines who approved the spending.

Channel: MBCNEWS ·

South KoreaStory of November 15, 2026Trari Newsroom

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MBCNEWS: The news division of MBC, a publicly owned South Korean broadcaster. 6.2M subscribers and 32B views.

"안간다"? 美핼러윈 참가 '박제' 세금 '줄줄' 현장서 "내 인권도.." [뉴스.zip/MBC뉴스]

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0:00Seongbuk councillors pose for photographs at Malaysia's National Palace and other tourist attractions.
0:49Kwon Young-ae defends the trip's approval and declines further questions about its purpose.
1:40The report says the Malaysian itinerary closely resembles a trip plan from three years earlier.
2:53At Incheon airport, councillors avoid questions about tourist stops on their American itinerary.
3:58The report contrasts denials about tourist visits with photographs of attendance at an American Halloween festival.
4:20Chair-appointed civilian reviewers approved the original itinerary despite concerns about its emphasis on sightseeing, the report says.

The itinerary drew objections, but the trip went ahead unchanged. That approval process is central to an investigation by South Korea's Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), which questions whether overseas trips by Seoul district councillors served a public purpose.

The report follows members of Seongbuk District Council on visits to Malaysia and the United States. In Kuala Lumpur, councillors pose for photographs at the National Palace and other tourist attractions. Asked to explain the schedule and its purpose, council vice-chair Kwon Young-ae declines to answer further questions, invoking her right to remain silent. She also defends the trip as having passed the proper review and objects to the reporter's characterization of it.

According to the report, the Malaysian visit cost 20 million won and involved seven councillors and two staff members. Its itinerary closely resembled a trip plan from three years earlier, prompting questions about why the same destinations were being proposed again.

The second part moves to Incheon International Airport, where reporter Do Yun-seon approaches councillors preparing to leave for Los Angeles. Some avoid questions or hurry away. The American itinerary includes Hollywood, Yosemite National Park and the Golden Gate Bridge, with a reported budget of 54 million won. Councillor Lee Ji-min says she did not feel the schedule contained many tourist stops.

Council chair Yang Soon-im and councillor Cho Min-guk deny plans to visit the tourist locations put to them, the report says. It subsequently presents photographs of attendance at a local Halloween festival in the United States. Those images form part of the broadcaster's challenge to the councillors' explanations, rather than establishing that every proposed stop took place.

The investigation then turns to the review committee: its civilian members were appointed by the council chair, according to the report. Despite concerns raised about the sightseeing-heavy itinerary, the original plan was approved. The closing segment argues that similar approvals across local councils in the Seoul metropolitan area expose a wider weakness in scrutiny of publicly funded overseas travel.

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