Democrats in the Seoul City Council proposed that parents of elementary school children vote on whether schools should provide free meals to all students, reigniting a two-year-old political controversy.

The suggestion came as civic groups opposing the across-the-board complimentary meals staged a signing campaign for a referendum on the issue.

Forty-two Democrats in the city council submitted a proposal to have the parents of public elementary schoolchildren vote on the free meals, the city council said Thursday.

“A referendum on the free meals would cost about 15 billion won of (the city’s) budget,” the councilors wrote in their motion.

“This has aroused a conflict between the city council and the city administration, which is not desirable.”

Although the vote by parents would have no legal effect, it could clearly show what the most concerned parties, the parents, think about the issue, they said.

“We can resolve the stalemate if (the city administration and council) comes to terms with the results of the vote,” they wrote.

The councilors suggested entrusting the National Election Committee with the vote, which would cost about 500 million won, to guarantee fairness.

The Seoul City administration, headed by Mayor Oh Se-hoon of the Grand National Party, however, refused the proposal saying that it was inappropriate to have the parents, who are the beneficiaries of the free meals, vote on the issue.

“The city council has no legal right to force the city administration or the city’s superintendent to hold such a vote and it is impossible to commission the NEC to conduct the vote,” a high-ranking city official said.

“And even if the results of the vote come out, they won’t be legally binding.”

Such a vote would have been plausible before the city allocated its budget, but it is difficult to accept a vote only by the beneficiaries of the free meals especially when a petition for a referendum is being compiled, he said.

The city council in December railroaded a bill to have all public elementary schools provide complimentary meals for the students and earmarked a budget for it, but the city administration is refusing to execute the budget, calling the budget “illegal.”

By Kim So-hyun (sophie@heraldcorp.com)