Promotion of Personnel Exchanges Among 25 Autonomous Districts of Seoul City

Seoul Council of District Mayors Holds Regular Meeting on the Morning of the 12th, Promotes Personnel Exchange Among 25 Autonomous Districts

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Personnel exchanges among the 25 autonomous districts of Seoul are expected to be promoted.

The Seoul Mayors' Council (Chairman Lee Seong-heon, Mayor of Seodaemun-gu) held its 173rd regular meeting at 7:30 a.m. on the 12th at Dalgaebi, discussing a total of 12 agenda items including the "activation of personnel exchanges among the 25 autonomous districts."

This agenda, proposed by Park Il-ha, Mayor of Dongjak-gu, emphasized the urgency of regularizing and activating personnel exchanges among the 25 autonomous districts to resolve personnel stagnation and boost civil servant morale, and decided to proceed accordingly.

In particular, before the regular personnel appointments of Seoul City, personnel exchanges among the 25 autonomous districts (reflecting preferences from 1st to 5th choice) will be pre-implemented, and based on this, Seoul City's regular personnel appointments will be promoted. If necessary, dispatch and other measures will also be actively considered.

The council agreed to comply with prior consultations with the Mayors' Council regarding detailed standards during regular personnel exchanges, in accordance with Article 2, Paragraph 2 of the Seoul City and Autonomous Districts Personnel Exchange and Integrated Personnel Agreement.

Chairman Lee Seong-heon expressed in his remarks, "I thank the mayors for attending the meeting early in the morning despite their busy schedules with next year's work plan establishment and budget preparation," and added, "As this meeting deals with various joint issues among autonomous districts, from veterans' honor allowances to medical expense support for cancer patients, I ask the mayors to pool their wisdom to resolve citizen inconveniences."

At the meeting, the following 12 agenda items were discussed: ▲ Request for timely payment of joint property tax transfers and city tax collection grants (Jung-gu) ▲ Request to comply with the agreement on raising and standardizing veterans' honor allowances (Seongdong-gu) ▲ Proposal to amend Seoul City's outdoor advertising ordinance to include mural-type advertisements (Seongdong-gu) ▲ Request to expand support for installation and operation costs of Seoul-type kids cafes (Seongbuk-gu) ▲ Request to increase Seoul Love Gift Certificates issued by autonomous districts (Seongbuk-gu) ▲ Request to amend city ordinance to support reconstruction safety inspection costs (Nowon-gu) ▲ Proposal to revise laws related to legally mandated committees (Guro-gu and Gwangjin-gu) ▲ Request for normal budget allocation for Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport New Deal projects (Guro-gu) ▲ Request to expand budget support for medical expense support projects for cancer patients (Gangseo-gu) ▲ Activation of personnel exchanges among the 25 autonomous districts (Dongjak-gu and 5 other districts) ▲ Proposal to improve operation plans for autonomous district workplace sports teams (Gangdong-gu) ▲ Proposal to form and operate a task force (TF) for discussing joint issues among autonomous districts (Secretariat).

Among these, the "Request to comply with the agreement on raising and standardizing veterans' honor allowances (Seongdong-gu)" was approved. The "Proposal to revise laws related to legally mandated committees (Guro-gu and Gwangjin-gu)" was amended and approved to review the operation status of committees by district, supplement the committees subject to proposal, and suggest legal revisions. The other 10 agenda items were approved as originally proposed and will be officially submitted to the central government and Seoul City.

A major agenda item, "Request for timely payment of joint property tax transfers and city tax collection grants (Jung-gu)," highlighted difficulties in district administration due to frequent delays exceeding six months from the collection period to the payment of joint property tax transfers and city tax collection grants currently provided by Seoul City to autonomous districts. The proposal calls for adjustments to ensure these transfers and grants are paid promptly without delay to facilitate smooth district administration.

Regarding joint issues, the "Proposal to form and operate a task force (TF) for discussing joint issues among autonomous districts (Secretariat)" will be implemented as originally planned. The TF will focus on three areas: ▲ Development of Seoul-type innovative education district projects ▲ Improvement of village bus systems ▲ Expansion of Seoul City’s delegated administrative authority to autonomous districts. The TF will include department and team heads from the executive autonomous districts and those wishing to participate. After formation, the autonomous district leading the TF will regularly report progress at regular meetings.

Outstanding cases from autonomous districts shared included nine exemplary administrative initiatives: ▲ Parallel notation of 'individual house prices' in building registers (Jung-gu) ▲ Customized utilization of district-owned properties for residents (Gwangjin-gu) ▲ Designation as an 'Environmental Education City' by the Ministry of Environment (Dobong-gu) ▲ Improvement of complaint handling through illegal parking management systems (Eunpyeong-gu) ▲ Epidemiological investigations using big data analysis programs (Gangbuk-gu) ▲ Creation of safe bicycle paths (Mapo-gu) ▲ Comprehensive measures to prevent damage from "empty shell" rental housing (Gangseo-gu) ▲ Establishment and operation of the 'Gangnam Employment and Startup Hub Center' (Gangnam-gu) ▲ Rubber Duck Project Seoul 2022 (Songpa-gu).

The meeting was attended by Chairman Lee Seong-heon (Mayor of Seodaemun-gu), Secretary-General Park Il-ha (Mayor of Dongjak-gu), and a total of 23 mayors (including six deputy mayors attending on behalf of mayors). The 174th regular meeting, to be held jointly with Seoul City, is scheduled for November 9.