Dancing Through Disaster: Guri Mayor Sparks Outrage After Attending Picnic During Flood Emergency

When Duty Calls But Fun Beckons: The Guri Mayor's Controversial Choice

Picture this: torrential rains are pounding your city, emergency workers are pulling double shifts, citizens are evacuating their flooded homes, and your phone is buzzing with disaster reports. What do you do as the mayor? If you're Baek Kyung-hyun of Guri City, apparently you grab a microphone and hit the dance floor at a summer picnic.

The scandal that has South Korea talking began on July 20, 2025, when Mayor Baek made what many are calling the most tone-deaf decision of his political career. While his city was literally underwater and his staff worked around the clock managing flood damage, Baek was caught on camera singing and dancing at a restaurant in Hongcheon County, Gangwon Province. The video, broadcast by SBS on July 21, shows the mayor enthusiastically performing with a microphone, completely oblivious to the optics of his actions.

What makes this story particularly shocking isn't just the timing – it's the stark contrast between the mayor's carefree celebration and the serious emergency unfolding back home. As flood warnings blared across Guri City from the early morning hours until 11:20 AM, city officials from the Safety Management Division, Roads Division, and Parks Division were working emergency shifts that lasted from dawn until 2:30 PM. Meanwhile, their boss was planning his exit strategy to make it to a party.

The Perfect Storm: Understanding Guri's Flood Crisis

To truly grasp the magnitude of Mayor Baek's misjudgment, you need to understand what was happening in Guri City on that fateful day. The northern Gyeonggi Province region was experiencing some of its worst flooding in recent memory, with rivers overflowing and infrastructure crumbling under the pressure of unprecedented rainfall.

The Wangsilcheon River's water levels rose dramatically, flooding waterfront walking paths and bicycle roads that are normally bustling with residents and tourists. Four major riverbed roads were completely submerged as bridges suffered damage from the torrential conditions. The flooding was so severe that it prompted authorities to maintain flood warnings throughout the morning, creating a genuine emergency situation that demanded immediate leadership attention.

What's particularly telling is that Mayor Baek himself seemed aware of the gravity of the situation. At 9:30 AM that morning, he sent text messages to Guri citizens under his name, urging them to report flood damage to the disaster response center. This shows he was fully informed about the crisis – making his decision to leave for a picnic just a few hours later all the more baffling to observers and critics alike.

Dancing While Rome Burns: The Viral Video That Shocked Korea

The video that sparked national outrage shows Mayor Baek in what can only be described as party mode. Walking confidently to the center of the restaurant with microphone in hand, he begins singing and dancing to the delight of fellow picnic-goers. The scene is complete with a banner reading 'Summer Picnic' hanging in the background and alcohol bottles clearly visible on the tables.

What makes the footage even more damaging is the timestamp – the video was filmed around 1:30 PM, just as the emergency response in Guri was reaching its peak intensity. While the mayor was entertaining the crowd with his vocal and dance performances, his own emergency response teams were dealing with evacuations, road closures, and infrastructure damage that would take days to fully assess and weeks to repair.

The imagery is powerful and deeply problematic from a leadership perspective. Here's a public official who should be the face of crisis management instead becoming the face of crisis mismanagement. Social media users quickly picked up on the contrast, with many pointing out that while citizens were losing their homes and livelihoods to flooding, their elected leader was literally dancing the day away.

Community Outrage: How Citizens and Officials Reacted

The public reaction to Mayor Baek's picnic adventure has been swift and unforgiving. Online communities across South Korea have expressed disbelief and anger at what many see as a fundamental betrayal of public trust during a crisis. The timing couldn't have been worse – with four confirmed deaths in the broader northern Gyeonggi region from the floods, including three in Gapyeong and one in Pocheon, the stakes were literally life and death.

Government officials at higher levels have also taken notice of the controversy. Prime Minister Kim Min-seok ordered an urgent review of disaster response protocols by local governments, specifically citing the inadequate responses in both Guri City and Sejong City. The Prime Minister's Office announced that the Government Joint Public Service Inspection Team would investigate whether disaster response systems functioned properly and examine potential disciplinary issues among relevant public officials.

What's particularly damaging to Mayor Baek's reputation is that this incident occurred while his own staff demonstrated exemplary dedication to public service. Emergency workers across multiple city departments worked extended shifts without complaint, responding to citizen calls and managing the crisis with professionalism. The contrast between their commitment and their leader's apparent indifference has not been lost on observers, both locally and nationally.

Damage Control: The Mayor's Apology Tour

Faced with mounting criticism and potential political consequences, Mayor Baek quickly shifted into damage control mode. His initial response to SBS was defensive, claiming he attended the picnic for only about 20 minutes at the request of Guri citizens and emphasizing that he didn't drink alcohol. However, this explanation satisfied virtually no one, as critics pointed out that the duration and sobriety were hardly the main issues at stake.

Recognizing that his initial response was inadequate, Mayor Baek issued a more comprehensive apology on July 22. In his statement, he acknowledged that the record-breaking torrential rain in northern Gyeonggi Province caused great civil unrest and expressed regret for his careless decision to attend the local group's outdoor picnic. He specifically apologized to citizens who were anxious and afraid, as well as field staff who were struggling to respond to disasters.

The mayor's follow-up statement struck a more appropriate tone, acknowledging that no event or appointment can be a priority in the face of a disaster and promising to be with citizens when disaster response occurs in the future. However, the damage to his reputation appears significant, with many questioning whether such poor judgment during a crisis disqualifies him from effective leadership during future emergencies.

Lessons in Leadership: What This Controversy Reveals About Crisis Management

The Guri mayor's picnic controversy offers valuable insights into the expectations and responsibilities of public leadership during emergencies. In South Korea's highly connected and socially conscious society, public officials are held to extremely high standards of conduct, particularly during times of crisis when citizens depend on government leadership for safety and reassurance.

This incident highlights the importance of optics in political leadership. Even if Mayor Baek's brief absence didn't directly impact emergency response operations – his staff continued their work professionally regardless – the symbolism of a leader celebrating while his constituents suffer creates lasting damage to public trust. In an era of social media and instant communication, such missteps can quickly become national scandals that undermine not just individual careers but public confidence in government institutions.

The controversy also raises questions about South Korea's disaster preparedness and response protocols at the local level. With climate change increasing the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, the country needs leaders who understand that crisis management requires not just technical competence but also emotional intelligence and symbolic leadership. Mayor Baek's actions suggest a disconnect between the gravity of modern disaster response and some officials' understanding of their roles during emergencies.