Kim Myung-soo steps down Monday

City cites council respect, public trust

Kim Myung-soo, who stepped down Monday as the nominee for president of the Busan Facilities Corporation [Busan city government]
Kim Myung-soo, who stepped down Monday as the nominee for president of the Busan Facilities Corporation [Busan city government]

Kim Myung-soo, the nominee for president of the Busan Facilities Corporation, announced his voluntary resignation Monday, and the city of Busan said it had accepted his decision and would withdraw his nomination.

The Busan City Council had held a confirmation hearing for Kim on Oct. 6, after which it adopted a report declaring him unfit for the post, citing a lack of expertise and competence. The corporation's labor union had also called for the nomination to be withdrawn, pointing to the nominee's insufficient professional qualifications and organizational management capabilities.

The city said it had "carefully reviewed whether to proceed with the appointment, taking into comprehensive consideration the results of the council's confirmation hearing, the need for stable management of the public institution, and the nominee's capabilities." It added that appointments to the heads of public institutions must reflect not only the judgment of the appointing authority but also the views of the council — the representative body of citizens — and the voices of various stakeholders within the organization.

The city further said the withdrawal reflected its decision to take seriously the council's opinion and the concerns raised on the ground, and to put into practice communication and cooperative governance as core values of city administration.

A city official said the decision went beyond assessing the nominee's personal qualifications. "We judged it important to look comprehensively at the concerns raised during the council's confirmation process and the views of the corporation's labor union, and to seek the best course of action from the perspective of citizens," the official said. "Rather than making a one-sided assessment of a particular nominee, our intention is to listen to a range of opinions, reflect them in our decision-making to earn the trust of citizens, and run city government on the basis of mutual respect with the council."

The city also said it would respect the council's oversight and verification role, take into account the opinions raised during the confirmation process in future appointments to public institution heads and in institutional management, and communicate sufficiently with the council on major city administration issues and personnel processes.

Mayor Jeon Jae-soo said he had "taken seriously the opinions raised at the council's confirmation hearing and the voices from the Facilities Corporation," and had decided to accept the nominee's voluntary resignation. "I will make mutual respect and cooperative governance with the council a core value of city administration, listen to a wide range of opinions, and run a city government that earns the trust of citizens," he said.


kaf2002@heraldcorp.com