Seoul Metropolitan Council's Personnel Authority Independence Progresses Smoothly... Seoul Autonomous District Councils Take First Steps

From the Late 10th Term of Seoul Metropolitan Council, Appointment of Council Secretariat Chief (Level 1 Equivalent) Through Public Recruitment... Kim Yong-seok, Former Re-elected Seoul Metropolitan Council Member, Appointed Secretariat Chief by 11th Chair Kim Hyun-ki, Received Appointment Letter and Began Duties on the 10th

The Seoul Metropolitan Council is establishing local autonomy through the exercise of its own personnel authority.

Since the second half of the 10th term, the Seoul Metropolitan Council has selected the head of the council secretariat, a position equivalent to grade 1, through external recruitment.

At that time, the council chairman selected a former Deputy Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, who completed a two-year term on the 9th and left. However, this secretariat chief left without producing significant work achievements.

Subsequently, the current chairman Kim Hyun-ki selected former council member Kim Yong-seok, a two-term Seoul Metropolitan Council member, as the secretariat chief through another recruitment process and presented the appointment letter on the 10th.

Kim Yong-seok, the designated secretariat chief, is a former journalist who received favorable evaluations from Seoul city executives during his time as a council member.

In this way, the Seoul Metropolitan Council is solidifying the operation of local autonomy by conducting external recruitment for the secretariat chief and exercising its own personnel authority. However, the council lacks director-level (grades 2-3) positions, which unfortunately limits promotion opportunities for section chiefs (grade 4).

Accordingly, personnel exchanges with the Seoul city government are expected to gradually decrease.

In contrast, the autonomous district councils in Seoul face difficulties in achieving independent personnel authority. Due to reasons such as a shortage of personnel, most district councils appoint civil servants promoted to grade 4 by the district office as secretariat chiefs of the district council.

This is partly because, at the local district level, personal networks are formed among the district council chairman, council members, and district office executives.

However, the Gangnam District Council promoted a grade 5 executive internally to grade 4 and appointed them as secretariat chief.

This is interpreted as the Gangnam District Council initiating steps toward independence regarding personnel authority for the first time.

A Seoul district council official stated, “Due to limitations in the personnel pool and the need for support from the district office, it will not be easy for district councils to immediately conduct external recruitment for the secretariat chief position.”