With the first senior personnel reshuffle of Mayor Oh Se-hoon's ninth elected term imminent, officials across the Seoul Metropolitan Government and its 25 autonomous districts are watching closely.
Personnel decisions are the most powerful lever for shaping any organization. The stakes are particularly high for Oh, who became the first five-term mayor of Seoul in history — this reshuffle is the opening move in assembling the core team that will steer city administration for the next four years.
First Deputy Mayor Jeong Sang-hun, serving in an acting capacity, and Administrative Bureau Director Gwak Jong-bin are in the final stages of preparing a personnel plan that will build a stable organization to lead the ninth-term administration in line with Oh's principles.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to announce promotions and transfers for Grade 3 and above Thursday afternoon, with the changes taking effect Monday.
Among the most closely watched appointments are the Grade 1 posts of director of the Economic Bureau, director of the Welfare Bureau and head of the Arisu Headquarters.
The Economic Bureau director post is reportedly being prepared as an open-recruitment position, while promoting a director-general-level official is the leading option for both the Welfare Bureau director and Arisu Headquarters head. Observers say a director-general with extensive welfare policy experience is a strong candidate for the welfare post.
If two Grade 1 promotions are confirmed, a cascade of Grade 2 promotions and transfers is expected to follow.
The overall scope of the reshuffle is expected to widen further as director-general-level transfers within the city government intersect with deputy district mayor appointments across the autonomous districts.
Within city government circles, speculation holds that two to three deputy district mayors will return to the main city government while two to three city director-generals move out to fill deputy district mayor posts. A significant number of lateral moves among sitting deputy district mayors is also anticipated.
Against this backdrop, speculation is rife in the districts over which director-generals and deputy district mayors will be assigned where. Some staff members are said to be circulating assessments of candidates' work competence, organizational management skills and communication abilities.
One official, referred to only as "A," who had been mentioned as a candidate for a deputy district mayor post, is said to have missed the position originally expected for them after reputational concerns came into play.
In recent months, a growing sentiment in the districts holds that communication skills and personal character are just as important as job performance when evaluating candidates for deputy district mayor. Organizational stability and internal cohesion are seen as factors that can make or break district administration.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government is finalizing a personnel plan that keeps high-performing officials needed to drive key initiatives at city hall while accounting for the conditions and organizational stability of each district, before submitting the final proposal to Mayor Oh for approval.
Once the Grade 3 and above reshuffle is complete, promotions and transfers for Grade 4 and below are expected to follow in sequence.
When the full reshuffle is finalized and all positions are filled, the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the autonomous districts are expected to shift into full operational mode under the ninth elected term.
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
