Busan Gijang County Mayor Oh Gyuseok: "Deputy Chief Appointment Authority Should Follow Local Autonomy Act"
73rd Street Protest Since First Rally in July 2018 Demanding Return of Deputy County Mayor Appointment Rights
[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] “It’s even in the law, so can’t the county governor appoint the deputy county governor?”
It has been 3 years and 2 months since the county governor started the first protest demanding the right to appoint the deputy county governor, marking 1,155 days and the 73rd solo protest. This is considered a 'Guinness record' for a protest by an elected official.
Busan’s Gijang County Governor Oh Gyu-seok took to the streets again, protesting “Why does the metropolitan government head exercise the appointment right of the deputy county governor or deputy district mayor, who are partners of the basic local government heads that must work closely together?”
On the 19th at 10:10 a.m., Governor Oh held a solo protest in front of the Busan City Hall Citizen Plaza, urging the return of the deputy county governor appointment right. It was the 73rd street protest since the first one over three years ago.
Governor Oh is demanding the return of the deputy local government head appointment right based on Article 110, Paragraph 4 of the Local Autonomy Act.
He explained, “The deputy mayor of a city, deputy county governor, and deputy district mayor are considered general local government officials, with their ranks determined by presidential decree, and are appointed by the mayor, county governor, or district mayor,” emphasizing that the law guarantees the appointment right of deputy local government heads to the mayor, county governor, or district mayor.
Gijang County Governor Oh Gyu-seok pointed out, “The appointment right of the deputy county governor is clearly guaranteed as the county governor’s authority under the Local Autonomy Act. There is no law in the Republic of Korea that allows a metropolitan mayor to appoint a deputy county governor.”
He argued, “The appointment right of deputy heads of basic local governments exercised by metropolitan government heads is merely a custom and bad practice inherited from the appointed official era,” and insisted, “Change and innovation in Busan must begin by abandoning such bad practices.”
He delivered a statement on the appointment right of deputy local government heads to the National Association of Mayors, County Governors, and District Mayors on June 22 and proposed support and participation.
Governor Oh said, “In an era where fairness and justice are the spirit of the times, metropolitan and basic local governments should not have a one-way vertical command relationship but rather a horizontal, mutually complementary, and equal cooperative relationship based on mutual understanding and cooperation.”
He also emphasized, “True local autonomy can only be achieved by breaking away from the appointed official era’s mannerism and returning the appointment right of deputy local government heads to the basic local governments according to law and principles.”
Governor Oh Gyu-seok began his first protest on July 23, 2018. Since then, he has held 73 solo protests in front of Busan City Hall and the National Assembly main gate demanding the return of the deputy county governor appointment right.
He has also requested the return of the appointment right through official documents 77 times to Busan City. On May 10, he met alone with Busan Mayor Park Hyung-joon and requested that the deputy county governor appointment right be returned to the Gijang County Governor.
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