[Park Jong-il Autonomous News] 'Personnel is Everything'... Is Oh Se-hoon's Personnel Move a Pass for Now?

Deputy Mayors of Administration 1 and 2 Selected Among Seoul City Executives Focusing on 'Expertise' and 'Stability'; Staff Seem Greatly Reassured This Appears Due to Mayor Oh's Need for Staff Support to Address Pressing Real Estate and Quarantine Issues Since Inauguration... Especially Responding to Kim In-ho, Chair of Seoul City Council, Postponing Formation of 'Naegok-dong Greenbelt Release Investigation Special Committee' Seen as a 'Big Decision' Signaling Intention Not to Greatly Disrupt Organization

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon (left) showed a humble attitude by visiting Kim In-ho, chairman of the Seoul Metropolitan Council, on the morning of the 8th, his first day at work, to request cooperation as his initial official schedule.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] The personnel appointments made by Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, his first decisive action, are being evaluated as having proceeded smoothly and logically.

Mayor Oh made his first personnel appointments within a week of his first day at work on the 8th. Jo In-dong, Director of the Planning and Coordination Office, was appointed as the First Deputy Mayor for Administration, and Ryu Hoon, Director of the Urban Regeneration Office, was selected as the Second Deputy Mayor for Administration. Additionally, Kim Do-sik, Chief of Staff to Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party, was nominated as Deputy Mayor for Political Affairs. Alongside this, Hwang Bo-yeon, Director of the Urban Transportation Office, was appointed as the head of the Planning and Coordination Office, which oversees the entire budget and acts as the brain (head) of Seoul City Hall.

As a result, Seoul city employees have reportedly given a ‘passing’ evaluation of Mayor Oh’s first personnel appointments. A senior official at Seoul City said, "Seeing Mayor Oh present the personnel plan for the deputy mayors and the Planning and Coordination Office director, it appears he is expressing his determination to properly push forward the pressing issues," adding, "There is a sense of relief, as the saying goes, ‘Personnel is everything.’"

This comes amid prior speculation that, after resigning 10 years ago and returning as the candidate of the main opposition party, People Power Party, Mayor Oh would bring in many external figures, including former retirees, as the First and Second Deputy Mayors of Seoul City, which had caused considerable unease within the organization. Especially rumors that a senior predecessor who retired with Mayor Oh 10 years ago would return caused significant turmoil throughout the organization.

However, these expectations were completely overturned as Mayor Oh appointed the First and Second Deputy Mayors from the current personnel, greatly reassuring Seoul City Hall employees.

In particular, the nomination of Jo In-dong, the top figure in Seoul’s planning sector, as the First Deputy Mayor for Administration has alleviated employee concerns. Also, appointing Ryu Hoon, the top expert in housing and urban planning, as the Second Deputy Mayor for Administration is interpreted as Mayor Oh’s intention to focus on redevelopment and reconstruction projects. Furthermore, the nomination of Hwang Bo-yeon, Director of the Urban Transportation Office, as the Planning and Coordination Office director, who serves as the liaison with the Seoul Metropolitan Council, has been praised as an ‘excellent move.’ Hwang is regarded as the right person not only for his expertise but also for his ability to execute tasks and maintain good relations with the city council.

Thus, by appointing the best candidates in terms of work capability as the First and Second Deputy Mayors and Planning and Coordination Office director, Mayor Oh’s campaign promise to ‘start work immediately within one week of inauguration’ seems to have gained momentum.

However, there are predictions that nominating Kim Do-sik as Deputy Mayor for Political Affairs, in line with the joint operation promise made with Ahn Cheol-soo during the election, may pose some difficulties in relations with the Seoul Metropolitan Council. Ahn Cheol-soo frequently makes harsh remarks criticizing the Moon Jae-in administration, and with 101 out of 110 council members belonging to the Democratic Party, it is uncertain whether Council Chairman Kim In-ho and other council members will treat Deputy Mayor Kim as a proper partner. Moreover, Deputy Mayor Kim lacks political weight, making it difficult to engage effectively with the council.

Because of this, rumors circulated that Mayor Oh pushed for former National Assembly member Oh Shin-hwan, who served two terms as a Seoul city council member, as an alternative.

Nonetheless, Mayor Oh’s personnel plan is expected to receive generally high evaluations.

Mayor Oh’s decision to prioritize ‘organizational stability’ and ‘expertise-based’ appointments is interpreted as a strategic move to focus on work, given that his term is only one year and two months.

For Mayor Oh, it is crucial to lead the Seoul city organization stably to complete the remaining term well and receive favorable evaluations, which would bode well for next year’s election.

Early in his term, Mayor Oh introduced a ‘Seoul-style quarantine’ plan but faced difficulties as daily COVID-19 cases reached around 700 last week. Consequently, citizens and Seoul residents could not help but feel uneasy, questioning whether Mayor Oh was too hasty from the start.

Additionally, his pledge to actively promote reconstruction and push apartment supply has led to media reports of apartment prices rising by 200 million to 600 million KRW in areas such as Apgujeong-dong in Gangnam, Yeouido-dong in Yeongdeungpo, and Mok-dong in Yangcheon, fueling predictions that ‘there may be little Mayor Oh can do.’

Moreover, the issue of readjusting Gwanghwamun Square is expected to be challenging, as Seoul Metropolitan Council Chairman Kim In-ho has expressed reluctance, citing concerns over wasteful spending of citizens’ taxes.

Thus, among the ‘four major tasks’?Seoul-style quarantine, redevelopment and reconstruction process and real estate price surge, Gwanghwamun Square redevelopment, and personnel matters?the ‘personnel’ issue has been the first to receive a passing grade, drawing attention to how the other tasks will be handled.

Mayor Oh has frankly acknowledged the difficult reality of relations with the Seoul Metropolitan Council from the outset, showing a ‘humble stance’ by bowing to Chairman Kim In-ho upon his first day at work, thereby setting a proper exit strategy.

As a result, Chairman Kim In-ho also made a ‘commuting decision’ not to form a special investigation committee on the Naegok-dong investigation related to Mayor Oh and to postpone the first mayoral inquiry to the June council session, thereby expanding Mayor Oh’s room to maneuver.

In particular, Chairman Kim sent an encouraging email to all employees, acknowledging the hardships they endured during the COVID-19 response, to which Mayor Oh responded with this ‘personnel appointment for organizational stability.’

With Seoul City and the Seoul Metropolitan Council starting off on such a positive note, Mayor Oh appears to have taken a more relaxed stance on personnel matters.

The smooth first steps taken by Mayor Oh and Chairman Kim are expected to provide Seoul citizens with a sense of stability.

Mayor Oh’s return after 10 years and his ‘stable stance’ are also seen as a move to shed the label of having ‘made employees suffer’ during his previous term as mayor in his late 40s. Notably, the ‘3% dismissal’ policy during that time has long been a negative mark against him.

Labeling and discriminating against guaranteed-term public officials could have been a fatal attempt within the public service community.

By dispelling this unfavorable past and aiming to realize greater ambitions, Mayor Oh appears to be showing a ‘humble approach’ to earn ‘good evaluations’ from the approximately 40,000 Seoul City Hall employees. It is not easy to fulfill the campaign promises made to Seoul citizens during the election without working closely with the staff.

The first personnel appointments seem to have started off well. Subsequent executive appointments are expected to be made based on the expertise and evaluations of the candidates. A deputy mayor of a Seoul autonomous district commented, "Having experienced two failed National Assembly election bids over the past 10 years, Mayor Oh seems to have matured into a more seasoned politician," adding, "I look forward to his future actions," drawing attention.