The June 3 local elections left a lasting mark on Seoul — Oh Se-hoon secured a historic fifth term as mayor, but the defection of senior officials he had promoted to top posts left a deep personal wound that now appears to be reshaping city hall's personnel landscape.
The June 3 local elections carried multiple meanings for Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon.
They gave him a place in history as South Korea's first five-term Seoul mayor, but they also inflicted a personal wound — the defection of people he had considered close allies.
According to sources inside and outside the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Oh was deeply shaken when he learned mid-campaign that more than 10 former senior city officials had joined the campaign of rival candidate Jeong Won-o. The group included former deputy mayors, bureau chiefs and heads of city-affiliated agencies.
Many of those officials were people Oh had personally elevated during his tenure, placing them in key posts such as deputy mayor, bureau chief and head of city-affiliated public corporations.
"My understanding is that the mayor privately expressed his hurt, saying something like, 'I raised these people and put them in important positions — how could they do this to me?'" a Seoul city official said.
At the time, polling showed a wide gap in Jeong's favor, and many in political circles considered his victory likely. It was in that environment that some retired senior officials joined Jeong's camp to offer policy advice and campaign support.
"I also heard that during the campaign, some of those individuals did not even greet the mayor when they ran into him at events, which made him feel even more hurt," a senior Seoul city official said.
The election result, however, defied expectations.
Oh trailed in the early count but staged a dramatic overnight comeback to win reelection, writing a new chapter in Seoul's political history as its first five-term mayor.
The reversal left the former senior officials who had joined Jeong's camp in a precarious position.
Critical views of those individuals have been circulating inside the Seoul Metropolitan Government, sources said.
"Even among city hall staff, people were asking, 'What more could someone who served as deputy mayor, bureau chief or head of a public corporation possibly have wanted?'" one senior official said. "There are also concerns that if this kind of thing keeps happening, it will become very hard for politicians to trust the civil service."
Another official said the former officials whose names came up in connection with Jeong's campaign would find it uncomfortable to show their faces around city hall for now, adding that junior civil servants were also likely to view them unfavorably.
Since Oh's reelection, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has launched a sweeping personnel overhaul.
Senior Grade 1 officials have been submitting resignations, and some have already been accepted. Observers say the reshuffle could extend well below director-general level, reaching even section chiefs.
"Word is circulating internally that there will be significant changes all the way down to section-chief level in the second-half personnel reshuffle," one official said.
The civil service is never entirely insulated from the fallout of elections.
Local elections, which come around every four years, represent a critical inflection point for civil servants — particularly those in senior positions, who are inevitably more sensitive to political shifts. "It is humanly understandable that officials think about how their promotions, assignments and roles might change depending on which political force comes to power," one senior Seoul city official said. "But if you openly support a specific candidate or reveal your political leanings and the result goes the other way, you have to accept the consequences yourself."
The phenomenon is not unique to the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
Across Seoul's 25 autonomous districts, the local elections also stirred considerable controversy over officials appearing to align themselves with either the incumbent district mayor or a challenger.
"The reality is that once you reach section-chief level or above, it becomes very difficult to navigate election season amid all the rumors and speculation," one district official said. "It is often deeply uncomfortable — some people even fabricate stories that have no basis in fact."
Ultimately, local elections are a powerful variable that unsettles not only the fates of politicians but also the morale and personnel landscape of the civil service.
Politics and administration are supposed to be separate, but in practice they exist in constant tension — which is why the aftershocks of an election linger long after the votes are counted.
Politics is a realm of choices; public service is a realm of neutrality.
That may be the most important message this local election has sent to Seoul's civil service community.
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
