Shin Jong-woo, Deputy Mayor of Eunpyeong-gu; Lee Hye-kyung, Deputy Mayor of Songpa-gu; Lee Gye-yeol, Deputy Mayor of Mapo-gu; Kim Hyuk, Deputy Mayor of Yeongdeungpo-gu?all former Seoul City General Affairs Division Chiefs?bring expertise in handling difficult tasks for Seoul and foster good relationships with mayors and staff as deputy mayors.
The personnel reshuffle for grade 3 positions, including Seoul city directors and deputy district mayors, is just over 10 days away.
Seoul City is busily preparing for the personnel reshuffle of grade 3 and above scheduled for the 24th.
Particular attention is focused on the personnel changes for four deputy district mayors, including those of Seongbuk-gu and Gangbuk-gu who are retiring with honors at the end of this month, as well as the vacant deputy mayor position in Nowon-gu and Dongjak-gu.
The deputy district mayor plays an important role in supporting the district mayor to faithfully implement campaign promises and also in resolving issues that arise not only within Seoul City but also at central government ministries.
Additionally, before the district mayor gives final approval, the deputy mayor acts as the last gatekeeper, handling a considerable amount of work, making it an undeniably significant position.
In particular, during the work process, the deputy mayor must also serve as the ‘mother figure’ within the district office, facilitating smooth communication among employees such as bureau and section chiefs without making noise, which is a challenging role.
Despite this, many grade 3 promotees in Seoul City desire to become deputy district mayors.
It is also known that many director-level executives are aiming for deputy district mayor positions this time.
Among them, deputy district mayors Shin Jong-woo of Eunpyeong-gu, Lee Hye-kyung of Songpa-gu, Lee Gye-yeol of Mapo-gu, and Kim Hyuk of Yeongdeungpo-gu have attracted attention for receiving favorable evaluations.
Notably, they share the common background of having served as Seoul City General Affairs Division chiefs.
Shin Jong-woo, deputy district mayor of Eunpyeong-gu, graduated from Yonsei University with a degree in Public Administration, passed the 38th Administrative Examination, joined Seoul City, and after serving as General Affairs Division chief and Economic Job Planning Officer, was appointed deputy district mayor of Eunpyeong-gu. He is trusted by District Mayor Kim Mi-kyung and is also evaluated as communicating well with employees.
Lee Hye-kyung, deputy district mayor of Songpa-gu, graduated from Seoul National University, passed the 3rd Local Government Examination, served as Seoul City General Affairs Division chief for two years through a challenging process, was promoted to grade 3, served as Digital Policy Officer, and was invited by District Mayor Seo Gang-seok, who she served as Finance Bureau chief under, to take the deputy mayor position. She is evaluated as quietly performing her role well alongside the district mayor and employees.
Lee Gye-yeol, deputy district mayor of Mapo-gu, graduated from University of Seoul and started as a grade 7 employee. After serving as Seoul City Council Legislative Officer, Audit Officer, and General Affairs Division chief, he was promoted to grade 3 and appointed to Mapo-gu in January last year. He supports District Mayor Park Kang-soo’s district administration philosophy quietly and is trusted.
Kim Hyuk, deputy district mayor of Yeongdeungpo-gu, also a grade 7 University of Seoul graduate, served as Seoul City General Affairs Division chief and Safety General Officer before being appointed in January. He is highly evaluated for practically supporting District Mayor Choi Ho-kwon’s administration.
The position of Seoul City General Affairs Division chief is a difficult one, as it involves handling various protests and many unpredictable incidents, requiring constant vigilance from early morning until late at night.
Successfully completing this role and then being promoted to grade 3 (director) itself guarantees reliability, and they are also evaluated as performing well in their roles within autonomous districts.
Moreover, the General Affairs Division chief has a distinctive sense of protocol and is well-regarded in interpersonal relationships, which is interpreted as contributing to their popularity.
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