Seo-gu's Rapid Population Growth Outpaces Increase in Public Officials
Kang Beom-seok Emphasizes Urgent Need to Expand Staffing
One public official in Seo-gu, Incheon, is responsible for 449 residents, the highest number among basic local governments nationwide.
According to Seo-gu on the 26th, as of June last year, the population of Seo-gu (including foreigners) was recorded at 651,057. During this period, the number of public officials in Seo-gu was 1,449, meaning one public official is responsible for 449 residents.
This is the highest figure among 226 basic local governments in 17 metropolitan cities and provinces nationwide. It is 168 more than the average of 281 residents per public official in metropolitan district governments. Also, Seo-gu in Incheon has a higher public official burden compared to Seoul Songpa-gu (373), Chungnam Cheonan-si (282), and Gyeonggi Pyeongtaek-si (269), all of which have populations exceeding 600,000.
Since the end of 2021, Seo-gu's resident registration population has increased by about 78,600 due to developments such as the Geomdan New Town, but excluding temporary staff, the number of public officials has increased by only 72. This means that for every 1,000 increase in population, only one public official was added.
In particular, Seo-gu is preparing to split into 'Geomdan-gu' and 'Seo-gu (name change under public contest)' in June next year due to administrative system reorganization. As of June last year, Ara-dong, which will be included in Geomdan-gu, had a population of 71,755 but only 20 public officials. As of the end of last month, Ara-dong's population increased by 1,045 to 72,800, but the number of public officials remains at 20.
Seo-gu states that, given the rapid population increase, the slow increase in public officials to support administrative demand makes urgent the need for prompt expansion of staffing.
Kang Beom-seok, mayor of Seo-gu, said, "I agree with the government's policy of freezing personnel for efficient local organization operation," but added, "However, in places like Seo-gu where the population is rapidly increasing, institutional improvements are needed to allow for an increase in public officials considering regional characteristics."
Meanwhile, in Incheon, the number of residents per public official as of June last year ranks Yeonsu-gu second nationwide with 420 residents per official, following Seo-gu. Next are Namdong-gu with 380, Bupyeong-gu 369, Michuhol-gu 350, Gyeyang-gu 297, Jung-gu 197, Dong-gu 95, Ganghwa-gun 88, and Ongjin-gun 31.
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