Silent "Battle" Looms Ahead of Second-Half Promotions in Sejong City

Two Welfare Division Deputy Directors Retire
Who Will Succeed Them?
Tensions Rise Over Upcoming Promotions

In the second half of the year personnel reshuffle in Sejong City, public interest is rising regarding the follow-up appointments for two retired welfare service division deputy directors.
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The public sector in Sejong City is abuzz ahead of the regular personnel reshuffle in the second half of the year. Attention is focused on which division will secure the promotion to the deputy director position.

According to an Asia Economy report compiled on June 24, two department heads who started their careers as grade 9 social welfare officials and rose to the grade 4 deputy director level have entered honorary retirement training prior to their official retirement. This has heightened interest within the government sector as to which division will see a promotion to fill these vacancies.

The deputy director position is highly coveted because in basic local governments it is equivalent to the deputy head of the organization, and in metropolitan governments, it is the first gateway to becoming a senior department head. Since department heads from each division can wield considerable influence and protect the interests of their peers, every division is eager to secure this position.

Welfare division officials are uniting around the view that, since their predecessors from the same division are retiring, the promotions should also come from within the welfare division. The welfare division has historically been sidelined in promotion decisions, and since their predecessors achieved the deputy director position with great difficulty, there is a strong sentiment that junior welfare officials should continue this legacy.

Especially in the case of the welfare division, the role requires not only administrative skills but also specialized knowledge in welfare, which lends significant weight to their argument. Furthermore, if a promotion is given to someone from another division, the welfare division would once again have to relinquish the department head position.

Of the three department heads from the welfare division who rose to the deputy director position, two are retiring, leaving Oh Jungseop, the deputy director of the Child and Youth Division in the Health and Welfare Bureau, as the only remaining department head from the welfare division. Currently, with only one department head position held by a welfare division deputy director, there is a strong logic among welfare division officials that junior colleagues should succeed the retiring department heads to protect the division's interests.

One welfare division official stated, "It is only natural that the foundation built by our predecessors, who worked so hard to achieve the deputy director position, should be passed on and protected by their juniors," emphasizing, "The fact that a deputy director came from the welfare division reflects the significant weight of welfare work."

The official added, "A deputy director from the welfare division has never once held the key position of Welfare Policy Division Head, the main department in the Welfare Bureau," and continued, "It is problematic that we have had to give up major positions in the Welfare Bureau and even promotions to other divisions. Around 200 welfare division officials are collectively concerned about the prospects for promotion."

Since more than half of the officials vying for the deputy director position belong to the administrative division, their efforts are also drawing attention. While it is true that expertise is necessary because welfare is an essential keyword in modern society, they argue that department heads should focus on setting the overall policy direction rather than on specialized tasks.

There is also criticism that promotions should not be hereditary by division and that it is problematic to insist that a retiring welfare division department head must be replaced by someone from the same division. Meanwhile, officials from other minority divisions are also seeking opportunities for promotion to the deputy director position.

With the upcoming deputy director promotions in the second half of the year, concerns are mounting that a so-called "war without gunfire" will erupt over these positions. Depending on the outcome, significant repercussions are expected.