Park Moon-tae, newly appointed policy adviser to the city of Pohang. [Pohang City]
Park Moon-tae, newly appointed policy adviser to the city of Pohang. [Pohang City]

The city of Pohang in North Gyeongsang Province has appointed Park Moon-tae, secretary-general of the People Power Party's Pohang Buk-gu constituency chapter, as a Grade 4-equivalent policy adviser, pressing ahead despite concerns raised in both the local community and the civil service over the suitability of the selection.

Pohang announced Monday that it had completed the appointment process for policy adviser Park and that he would begin work that day.

Earlier, in July, Pohang received approval from the Ministry of Interior and Safety to hire a Grade 4-equivalent fixed-term specialist civil servant. The city then completed background checks and other required procedures before finalizing Park's appointment.

In his new role, Park is expected to support the formulation and implementation of key city policies and handle external cooperation and political communications.

"I will do my best to serve as a bridge between the National Assembly, central government ministries, the provincial and city councils, the media, and civic groups across all walks of life, in order to put into practice the mayor's governing philosophy centered on being on the scene, communicating openly, and fostering unity," Park said.

On the same day as the appointment, the Pohang branch of the Korean Government Employees' Union's North Gyeongsang regional chapter issued a statement sharply criticizing the move.

"We express deep regret that the city pressed ahead with the appointment of the policy adviser despite opposition and concern from the community," the branch said. "The fact that the power of appointment rests with the mayor does not mean the mayor is relieved of the responsibility to explain that appointment."

The branch added that it would "continue to monitor whether the concerns surrounding this appointment are addressed, and whether the policy adviser oversteps the proper boundaries of the role to exert undue influence over city administration."

Nine members of the Pohang City Council from the Democratic Party of Korea, including Assembly member Kim Eun-ju, also issued a statement calling on Pohang Mayor Park Yong-seon to immediately rescind the appointment and to "transparently disclose to citizens the criteria and vetting process used in appointing the policy adviser."

They further demanded that the mayor "appoint someone with the expertise and policy capacity to overcome Pohang's industrial transition and economic crisis," and urged him to "take citizens' concerns seriously and immediately withdraw the controversial appointment."


kbj7653@heraldcorp.com