O Sehun's First Personnel Tape of the 8th Term... What Position is the Deputy District Mayor in Autonomous Districts?

Seoul City Announces Personnel Changes for 11 Deputy District Mayors as of the 8th...Many Deputy District Mayors Reappointed

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Mayor Oh Se-hoon began the first personnel appointments of the 8th elected term with deputy district heads of autonomous districts.

Seoul City made personnel changes for 11 deputy district heads at levels 2 to 3 as of the 8th. Among the 25 autonomous districts, nearly half?11 people?were appointed through transfers between districts and exchanges among districts.

There are 6 transfers between districts and 5 exchanges among districts, totaling 11.

Of course, this deputy district head appointment was made at the request of district heads. The district heads who took office on June 1 requested Seoul City to promptly make deputy district head appointments to stabilize their organizations.

Additionally, with Gwanak District Mayor Yoo Jae-ryong retiring and Dongjak District Deputy Mayor Bae Hyung-woo going abroad for training, there were more vacancies, leading to relatively increased movement.

◆ After Retirement of Deputy Mayor Yoo Jae-ryong of Gwanak District, Likely to Move to Research Professor Position at University of Seoul

Yoo Jae-ryong, a senior level 2 deputy mayor of Gwanak District (58), has been transferred to the Administrative Bureau. After retirement, he is expected to serve as a research professor at the University of Seoul for three years. Deputy Mayor Yoo previously served as deputy mayor of Seongdong District, head of the Hangang Project Headquarters, and head of the Climate Environment Headquarters before serving a long term of over three years as deputy mayor of Gwanak District.

Bae Hyung-woo, deputy mayor of Dongjak District (53), who passed the local civil service exam twice, appears to have returned to the main office for training in the United States.

Additionally, level 2 deputy mayor Jeong Heon-jae of Gangseo District, and level 3 deputy mayors Kim Jae-yong of Dobong, Lee Hoe-seung of Guro, and Kim Young-hwan of Yeongdeungpo District have been transferred to the main office and are expected to take on director positions.

◆ Increasing Number of Deputy Mayors Returning to the Position

Park Dae-woo, level 2 deputy mayor of Gangseo District (57), previously served as deputy mayor of Gwangjin District, making this a case of returning to the deputy mayor position. After serving as deputy mayor of Gwangjin District, Park completed training at the Institute for Foreign Affairs and Security and served as Economic and Job Planning Officer before returning to a district office.

Lee Young-gi, deputy mayor of Gwanak District (52), who passed the local civil service exam once, served as media officer and planning officer, was promoted to level 3, served as policy planning officer, then deputy mayor of Yeongdeungpo District, and after leading the Gwanghwamun Square Promotion Team to completion, has now moved back to deputy mayor of Gwanak District.

Ma Chae-sook, deputy mayor of Jongno District (51), who passed the local civil service exam three times, previously served as deputy mayor of Jung District. Since her husband Lee Soo-yeon, director of Seoul Grand Park, had to move to the main office, she appears to have moved to deputy mayor of Jongno District.

Kim Jeong-ho, deputy mayor of Jung District (57), who passed the local civil service exam twice, had a connection with Jung District Office from his time as a section chief for five years and settled early at the request of Jung District Mayor Kim Gil-sung. He was promoted from head of the Housing Policy Division, served as deputy mayor of Yangcheon District, and has now returned to his original Jung District Office.

Jeong Hwan-jung, deputy mayor of Dobong District (57), who passed the administrative civil service exam 41st, served as Seoul City media officer, planning officer, welfare policy division head, was promoted to level 3, completed overseas training, served as deputy mayor of Gangdong District for two years, and has now moved to Dobong District.

Eom Ui-sik, deputy mayor of Guro District, who passed the local civil service exam three times, served as welfare policy division head and welfare planning officer, moved from deputy mayor of Gwangjin District, worked there for about a year, and has now moved to Guro District.

Cheon Jeong-wook, senior deputy mayor of Dongjak District (54), who passed the administrative civil service exam 35th, has been recognized for his diligence after serving as deputy mayor of Seocho District for seven consecutive years during the 6th elected term under Mayor Cho Eun-hee, and is expected to soon set the record for longest-serving deputy mayor.

◆ Who Are the Lucky Ones Taking on Deputy Mayor Positions for the First Time?

Deputy mayor positions in Seoul City are highly coveted among officials at level 3 and above.

Deputy mayors can have a very beneficial and meaningful role if they communicate well with both the district mayor above and the district employees below.

They serve as a bridge for practical problem-solving between Seoul City and the district, making it a very attractive position. Especially, as deputies under the district mayor, they have the opportunity to lead about 1,300 to 1,500 employees, making it a position that Seoul City officials definitely want.

The newly appointed first-time deputy mayors are Baek Il-heon of Gwangjin, Kang Ok-hyun of Yangcheon, Byun Seo-young of Seocho, and Kim Kyung-tak of Gangdong District.

Baek Il-heon, deputy mayor of Gwangjin District (55), who passed the local civil service exam twice, served as audit officer and budget officer, was promoted to level 3, served as financial planning officer and safety general officer, and has now moved to deputy mayor of Gwangjin District.

Kang Ok-hyun, deputy mayor of Yangcheon District (52), was specially recruited at level 7 from the University of Seoul, served as media officer, was promoted to level 3, and served as head of the Judicial Police Unit.

Among them, Byun Seo-young, deputy mayor of Seocho District, born in 1964, has about one year left in her public service term and will have a relatively short tenure, but the other deputy mayors have considerable time left in their public service and are expected to serve as deputy mayors two or more times.

In Yeongdeungpo District, with Deputy Mayor Kim Young-hwan moving to Seoul City and the position vacant, a key director who is well-connected and started at level 9 is expected to be transferred soon.

◆ 12 Deputy Mayors Retained: Ahn Jun-ho of Gangnam, Choi Hong-yeon of Dongdaemun, Yoo Bo-hwa of Seongdong, Kim Hye-jung of Eunpyeong, etc.

With this deputy mayor personnel change, the deputy mayors who retained their current positions are Yoo Seung-jae of Yongsan, Yoo Bo-hwa of Seongdong, Choi Hong-yeon of Dongdaemun, Kim Tae-hee of Jungnang, Shin Sang-chul of Seongbuk, Lee Bang-il of Gangbuk, Kim In-cheol of Nowon, Kim Hye-jung of Eunpyeong, Kim Jin-man of Seodaemun, Park Beom of Mapo, Kim Young-sung of Geumcheon, Ahn Jun-ho of Gangnam, and Im Dong-guk of Songpa, totaling 11.

Among them, Park Beom of Mapo and Im Dong-guk of Songpa will enter retirement leave at the end of the year.

Among them, Choi Hong-yeon of Dongdaemun, Kim In-cheol of Nowon, Kim Young-sung of Geumcheon, Ahn Jun-ho of Gangnam, and Im Dong-guk of Songpa have set records as long-serving deputy mayors.

They have earned good evaluations from both district mayors and employees, allowing them to keep their positions and breathe a sigh of relief.

◆ What Is the Secret to Being a Long-Serving Deputy Mayor?

The deputy mayor position is both an honorable and challenging role.

First, the ability and expertise to assist the district mayor in district administration and a proactive attitude are necessary.

Especially, if one cannot properly resolve difficult issues in the relationship with Seoul City, it is hard to serve long.

Also, there must be no communication problems with district executives. If communication with district executives is poor and results in negative evaluations, the district mayor will feel burdened and it will be difficult to work together.

This is why there are opinions that the conduct and attitude of current long-serving deputy mayors should be actively benchmarked.

A Seoul City autonomous district official said, “Many deputy mayors have served over the years, but few have maintained good relationships with employees,” adding, “For example, former deputy mayor Park Hee-soo of Seongdong and Dongdaemun had good relations with employees during his tenure and still occasionally meets employees for meals after retirement.”