Kim Ajin, Seocheon County Council Member, Proposes Ordinance Bill for Personnel Hearings of Heads of Investment and Funded Institutions

Ajin Kim, Member of Seocheon County Council

In accordance with the revised Local Autonomy Act, which allows local councils to conduct personnel hearings for candidates for the heads of local government-funded and -invested institutions, the Seocheon County Council in Chungnam has begun amending its ordinances.

Kim Ajin, a council member of the Seocheon County Council (Democratic Party of Korea), announced on the 8th that she has proposed the “Seocheon County Personnel Hearing Ordinance,” which stipulates that the county council will hold personnel hearings when appointing the Secretary General of the Sustainable Foundation and the CEO of the Cultural Tourism Foundation, which is scheduled to be established next year.

The main contents are as follows: △ The ordinance applies to those for whom a personnel hearing is requested by the Seocheon County Governor under Article 47-2, Paragraph 1 of the Local Autonomy Act; △ A special personnel hearing committee consisting of six members is formed upon the recommendation of the chairperson; △ The candidate for the personnel hearing must attend to answer questions and provide opinions; △ If necessary, testimony or statements may be heard from witnesses, appraisers, or reference persons.

In addition, the Special Personnel Hearing Committee is required to submit a progress report to the chairperson, and the decisions of the committee are, in principle, made public.

Kim stated, “According to the Local Autonomy Act revised last year, the head of a local government may now request a personnel hearing from the local council for candidates for positions such as the president of a local public corporation, the chairperson of a local public foundation, and the heads of government-funded or -invested institutions, as specified by ordinance.”

She further explained, “The purpose of enacting this ordinance is to establish procedures and processes that ensure transparency and fairness in the personnel composition of Seocheon County’s funded and invested institutions, thereby earning the trust of county residents.”

Meanwhile, Seocheon County currently has the “Sustainable Regional Foundation” as a government-funded and -invested institution, and the Cultural Tourism Foundation is scheduled to be established next year.