Daegu City Council Member Youngae Yoon Says "Abolition of Civil Service Recruitment Residency Requirement Shows Political Intent"

"Criticism Over Political Exploitation of Youth"
Issues Raised During City Council Administrative Audit

The Daegu City Council Planning and Administration Committee, chaired by Youngae Yoon, conducted an administrative audit of the Administrative Bureau on November 10. During the audit, the committee reviewed the overall administrative operations of Daegu City, including the reversal of residency requirements for recruitment exams, inappropriate management of official residences, the promotion of commemorative projects for President Park Chung-hee, uncertain funding measures for the construction of the new city hall, passive management of public administrative information, and irregular operation of acting duty systems. The committee pointed out key issues and called for substantial improvements.

Chairperson Youngae Yoon (People Power Party, Nam-gu District 2) criticized the reintroduction of the residency requirement for recruitment exams, which had been abolished last year, stating that it caused significant confusion among examinees. She questioned the rationale for implementing the policy without sufficient public discussion and urged that future recruitment policies be pursued with consistency. She also called for thorough inspections and ongoing education to prevent further violations in personnel management, such as failing to obtain permission for concurrent positions and not reporting external lectures.

Youngae Yoon, Daegu City Council Member

Chairperson Yoon further stated, "The abolition of the residency requirement for civil service recruitment exams is a serious issue that disadvantages young people in Daegu. The policy was enforced without gathering public opinion or offering a grace period, leading to criticism that young people are being used for political purposes."

Committee member Ryu Jongwoo (People Power Party, Buk-gu District 1) pointed out that, contrary to the national trend of reducing or abolishing official residences, Daegu continues to operate them, which raises concerns about fairness and transparency. He called for the establishment of reasonable standards for managing official residences in line with public expectations, and, in the long term, urged for plans to gradually reduce, abolish, or repurpose them. He also pressed for effective measures to improve the "Hometown Love Donation Program," which remains at the lowest level nationwide, suggesting the use of private platforms and enhancing the competitiveness of return gifts based on successful cases from other local governments.

Committee member Kim Wonkyu (People Power Party, Dalseong-gun District 2) referred to the lawsuit regarding the statue at Dongdaegu Station Square and, citing the Cheongnamdae case, urged for the development of a mature commemorative project for President Park Chung-hee that highlights Daegu's spirit of industrialization with a balanced perspective beyond controversy. He also criticized the personnel committee for pre-selecting candidates for promotion and conducting only formal reviews and approvals, demanding that the committee operate in line with the intent of relevant laws to ensure fairness and transparency.

Committee member Kim Daehyun (People Power Party, Seo-gu District 1) stressed that the construction of the new city hall should proceed swiftly without delays, but warned against relying solely on the sale of public assets to secure funding. He called for efficient and systematic management of public assets based on future demand forecasts. He also urged improvements to the intelligent civil complaint consultation system "Ttubot," which has failed to meet user expectations despite an investment of over 100 million won, and called for the development of various utilization plans.

Committee member Yuk Jeongmi (Democratic Party, Proportional Representation) criticized the excessive application of "personal information protection" as a reason for withholding information that should naturally be made public, emphasizing the need to enhance transparency and accountability in administration to prevent waste of budget and administrative resources. She also pointed out that low salaries compared to the private sector and frequent malicious complaints are causing high turnover among junior civil servants. She called for consideration of a new allowance for key positions and the establishment of effective protection measures for those handling civil complaints.

Committee member Lee Seongo (People Power Party, Suseong-gu District 3) noted that irregular operation of acting duty systems, despite repeated criticism, is increasing concerns about fairness in personnel management, and called for immediate improvements to ensure fair organizational management. He also highlighted that the inconsistent operation of lunchtime closing policies across districts is causing confusion among citizens, and requested the establishment of unified city-wide standards and measures to minimize public inconvenience.