Councils seek solutions to personnel gridlock following independence of appointment authority

Speakers from Ulsan's five district and county councils hold their regular meeting at a restaurant in the city Wednesday. [Provided by Ulju-gun Council]
Speakers from Ulsan's five district and county councils hold their regular meeting at a restaurant in the city Wednesday. [Provided by Ulju-gun Council]

The Ulsan District and County Council Speakers' Association held its regular meeting Wednesday to discuss ways to ease personnel bottlenecks and staffing difficulties that have emerged since local councils gained independent appointment authority.

Since 2022, local councils have operated under an amended Local Autonomy Act that grants council speakers the authority to appoint their own staff — a shift known as the independence of personnel authority.

For district and county councils, however, the small organizational scale and limited headcount at each rank have narrowed the scope for promotions and reassignments, leading to a buildup of personnel gridlock.

The five council speakers agreed Wednesday that a prolonged personnel bottleneck risks lowering staff morale and could undermine both the professional quality of council work and the efficiency of organizational management.

The association said it would closely examine the staffing conditions and operational challenges each council has faced since gaining independent appointment authority, and work toward practical solutions suited to current realities.


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