Hong Nayoung of Sejong City Council Says "Overlapping Appointments of Private-Sector Members Persist... Review Needed"

16 People Appointed to Four or More Committees
"Need for Diverse Private-Sector Experts and Talents to Participate"

Hong Nayoung, Sejong City Councilor affiliated with the People Power Party

There have been calls for a comprehensive review of the appointment of private-sector members to various committees operated by Sejong City.

In particular, there is criticism that meeting allowances paid with taxpayer money are being disproportionately distributed, causing the committees to degenerate into exclusive groups rather than serving as bodies for the development of Sejong City.

According to the 'Status of Overlapping Committee and Council Memberships' investigated by Hong Nayoung, a Sejong City Councilor affiliated with the People Power Party, during the administrative audit of the Sejong City Council held on June 4, it was revealed that currently, 16 private-sector members have been appointed to four or more committees operated by Sejong City.

According to Sejong City, as of 2023, there were 21 members who were appointed to four or more committees. There were 20 such members last year, 21 as of March this year, and recently the number has decreased to 16. This indicates that external experts participating in Sejong City's administration have been concentrated among a select few. It was found that one member could serve on more than four committees, raising concerns that such appointments may be due to close ties with administrative agencies or favoritism based on personal relationships.

Hong Nayoung pointed out, "Overlapping appointments of committee members are raised as an issue in every administrative audit, but the situation has yet to improve," and emphasized, "There needs to be an opportunity for a diverse range of private-sector experts and talents to participate equally in committees and propose good ideas."

A city official stated, "We will establish procedures to consult with the Policy Planning Office in advance when creating new committees, and reflect this in year-end departmental evaluation indicators, so as to improve the issue of overlapping appointments."