Why Are Green Space Public Officials in Seoul So Highly Sought After?

New Grade 4 Positions Established in Nowon and Gwanak Districts
Promotion of Technical Examination Graduates to Director

As Seoul City declared itself a ‘City of Flowers, City of Gardens’ and the enthusiasm for creating ‘Green Cities’ in autonomous districts such as Nowon-gu, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seongdong-gu, Mapo-gu, Eunpyeong-gu, and Guro-gu gradually heats up, green sector public officials are gaining prominence.

Seoul’s green sector public officials enter public service after graduating from university departments such as Forest Resources and passing technical civil service exams, or the 7th or 9th grade open competitive exams.

They work in Seoul City’s Garden City Bureau and the Green City Divisions of 25 autonomous districts, contributing to the creation of parks, gardens, and roadside green belts in Seoul and its districts.

During the first elected mayor Cho Soon’s administration, Yeouido Park was developed; under the third elected mayor Lee Myung-bak, Seoul Forest was created; during the fourth elected mayor Oh Se-hoon’s term, the Dream Forest in North Seoul was established; and under the seventh elected mayor Park Won-soon, the Seoul Botanic Park was developed. These major parks and botanical gardens have increased the role of green sector public officials.

In particular, Mayor Oh Se-hoon concretized the intention to develop Seoul as a garden city by hosting the Seoul International Garden Expo this year.

Following this trend, during the second elected mayor Ko Gun’s administration, the first green sector director (grade 3) position was created, and technical civil service graduate Choi Yong-ho was appointed as director.

He was succeeded by Choi Kwang-bin, former director of Seoul City’s Green City Bureau, who served twice as the bureau chief.

After retiring as deputy mayor of Nowon-gu, former director Choi, a technical civil service graduate, was recruited as Healing City Bureau director by Nowon-gu mayor Oh Seung-rok during the seventh elected term, serving for five years and making Nowon-gu?with its favorable mountain terrain including Bulamsan, Suraksan, and Choansan?a model green city.

After Director Choi’s retirement, former Seoul City Green City Bureau director Yoo Young-bong was recruited as Healing City and Leisure Bureau director of Nowon-gu as of February 1 this year. Together with Moon Hye-jung, Green City Division chief; Kwon Dong-hyun, Garden City Division chief; Ha Jae-hong, Leisure City Division chief; and Yang Hyun-woong, Urban Landscape Division chief, he is fully engaged in preparing for the opening of ‘Surak Hue,’ the nation’s first urban natural recreation forest.

Meanwhile, recently, Gwanak-gu appointed Kim Dae-sung, a technical civil service graduate and director of Seoul Botanic Park, as director of the Parks and Leisure Bureau. It is interpreted that district mayor Park Jun-hee recruited Director Kim, a grade 4 official of Seoul City, as bureau chief to develop Gwanaksan Mountain facilities similar to those in Nowon-gu.