Jongno-gu: "Claims of Personnel Management Agreement Violations Are Not True"

Jongno-gu, on the afternoon of the 22nd, Jongno-gu Council Democratic Party members issue a rebuttal statement regarding claims made on the 21st
The district returns 12 officials, including the dispatched Council Secretariat Chief, to the district office following prolonged council disruption due to procedural issues in the council chair election on July 26

Jongno-gu (Mayor Jeong Munheon) issued a rebuttal statement on the afternoon of the 22nd in response to the day-before claims made by the Democratic Party members of the Jongno-gu Council regarding the cancellation request of personnel measures, which they alleged infringed on the council’s personnel authority.

On July 26, due to issues with the procedure for electing the council chairperson, the council experienced a prolonged deadlock, leading to the return of 12 personnel, including the council’s dispatched administrative director, back to the district office.

This was a rebuttal to the concerns raised by some council members. The district office stated, "The abnormal situation caused by the council’s deadlock violates the Local Autonomy Act’s purpose of stable establishment of the council’s personnel authority and the agreement with Jongno-gu. This constitutes a serious breach of the personnel operation agreement by the Jongno-gu Council. Therefore, the claim that Jongno-gu violated the personnel operation agreement is not true, and prior personnel consultation is not a necessary procedure."

Furthermore, the district office argued that the responsibility for damaging the Local Autonomy Act’s provision for independent personnel authority lies with the Democratic Party council members’ malicious obstruction of the chairperson group formation for party interests and their deliberate disruption of all meeting proceedings, including the chairperson election. As a result, the council’s administrative system was paralyzed, and the dispatched staff from the district office lost their original purpose of dispatch and were left idle without work, leading to physical and mental exhaustion and hardship.

They emphasized that urgent measures were necessary to promptly address the pressing livelihood issues and safety of residents and to respond swiftly to various civil complaints.

The district office stated, "In the current situation where the council is completely nonfunctional, the return of dispatched personnel to the district office was a natural decision to minimize residents’ inconvenience caused by gaps in personnel operations and the neglect of idle manpower."

Below is the full statement released by Jongno-gu.

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Jongno-gu’s Position on the Request to Cancel Personnel Measures Alleged to Infringe on the Personnel Authority of the Jongno-gu Council

We hereby present Jongno-gu’s position regarding the Democratic Party members of the Jongno-gu Council’s demand to cancel personnel measures that allegedly infringe on the council’s personnel authority.

1. Regarding the Claims of Damage to the Local Autonomy Act and the Provisions of the Personnel Operation Agreement

Following the amendment of the Local Autonomy Act, which granted personnel authority over local council administrative staff independent from local governments, Jongno-gu and the Jongno-gu Council signed a personnel operation agreement (January 12, 2022) to ensure the stable independence of the council’s personnel authority and realization of council autonomy. Since then, the district office has dispatched staff upon the council’s request.

However, the abnormal situation caused by the council’s deadlock violates the purpose of the Local Autonomy Act and the agreement with Jongno-gu to establish stable personnel authority for the council. This is a serious breach of the personnel operation agreement by the Jongno-gu Council. Therefore, the claim that Jongno-gu violated the personnel operation agreement is untrue, and prior personnel consultation is not a required procedure.

The responsibility for damaging the Local Autonomy Act’s provision for independent personnel authority lies with the Democratic Party members’ malicious obstruction of the chairperson group formation for party interests and deliberate disruption of all meeting proceedings, including the chairperson election. The council’s administrative system was paralyzed, and the dispatched staff from the district office lost their original dispatch purpose and were left idle, resulting in physical and mental exhaustion and hardship.

Thus, urgent measures were necessary to resolve pressing livelihood issues and safety concerns of residents and to respond swiftly to various civil complaints. In the current situation where the council is completely nonfunctional, the return of dispatched personnel to the district office was a natural decision to minimize residents’ inconvenience caused by gaps in personnel operations and neglect of idle manpower.

2. Regarding the Basis for the Livelihood Stability Promotion Team

The Livelihood Stability Promotion Team is a task force (TF) established to monitor on-site civil complaints and livelihood stability and to develop community-based policies. It is a project organization formed internally for rapid administrative response and is different from a temporary organization defined by law. Therefore, the claims that it is a "department not established by ordinance," that the personnel operation agreement was violated, or that personnel authority was abused by sacrificing staff are misunderstandings stemming from a lack of understanding of the organizational structure.

The recent return of the Jongno-gu Council’s dispatched personnel to the district office resulted from the Democratic Party members’ deliberate council deadlock, which neglected residents’ livelihoods and acted irresponsibly. Jongno-gu expresses strong regret over this. Once the council normalizes, staff will be dispatched again to fully support council operations. We ask for cooperation in the prompt normalization of the council to prevent further inconvenience and damage to residents caused by the failure to pass urgently needed supplementary budgets and ordinances for livelihood matters.