Gyeonggi Province Fills Top Deputy Post, But 7 Cities and Counties Still Have Vacant Second-in-Command Positions

While Gyeonggi Province has welcomed a new administrative second-in-command, seven cities and counties within the province whose deputy posts are subject to mayoral and county commissioner appointments remain vacant.

According to the province on the 28th, Ha Jong-mok, former director-general of the Prevention Policy Bureau at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, took office as the 38th Vice Governor of Gyeonggi Province and officially began his duties.

Meanwhile, Seongnam, Siheung, Gwangju, Icheon, Yangju, Pocheon cities and Gapyeong County—seven municipalities—have remained without vice mayors and vice county commissioners since their predecessor deputies retired or were transferred in late June, continuing to the present.

This follows the province postponing executive personnel appointments including deputy chiefs to January of next year in conjunction with organizational restructuring.

Current local government law stipulates that the President appoints vice mayors and vice governors of cities and provinces who are national civil servants.

In contrast, vice mayors of cities and vice county commissioners of counties are appointed by mayors and county commissioners as general-track local civil servants. They assist chief executives, oversee municipal affairs, and supervise and direct subordinate staff.

Looking solely at the law, the provincial governor does not hold final appointment authority over the vice governor, but mayors and county commissioners do hold direct appointment authority over vice mayors and vice county commissioners.

However, personnel decisions operate differently in practice.

The province has long conducted personnel exchanges between the province and municipalities, with high-ranking officials from the province moving to positions as vice mayors and vice county commissioners in front-line cities and counties. While the legal appointment is made by the mayor or county commissioner, actual candidate selection is conducted through consultation between the province and municipalities.

As a result, when the province halted personnel appointments, deputy chief appointments in cities and counties also stalled. Even municipalities that are legally capable of making their own appointments are awaiting provincial personnel decisions, following the established practice of personnel exchanges.

The prolonged vacancies in deputy chief positions are increasing administrative burdens at the front line.

According to local government law, deputy chiefs oversee municipal affairs and supervise and direct local government employees. When the chief executive is unable to serve due to vacancy, detention, or prolonged hospitalization, they assume authority. They also assume delegated authority when the chief executive runs for local office.

Deputy chiefs participate in various committees, disaster and safety response, and coordination of major issues within cities and counties. The personnel exchange method, where high-ranking officials from outside serve as deputy chiefs, is considered to have a function of maintaining administrative distance from local interests and coordinating affairs.

In particular, vice chairs from the province are well-versed in provincial policies, organization, and budgetary structures, serving a role in connecting the province and municipalities. From municipalities' perspective, they can serve as a liaison window with the provincial government in processes of securing provincial funds, coordinating broad-based projects, and coordinating various pending issues—reasons cited for the long-term maintenance of personnel exchanges.

However, this prolonged vacancy has exposed the gap between such personnel exchange practices and the legal appointment authority of basic local government chiefs. Though mayors and county commissioners can legally appoint deputy chiefs directly, seven municipalities have left their deputy chief positions vacant for extended periods as the province delayed its personnel appointments.

Moreover, among the seven municipalities with vacant deputy posts, three—Gwangju, Icheon, and Yangju—are regions where chief executives were replaced in the June 3 local elections. New chief executives are taking office to shape the administration of the ninth term of civilian government, yet they find the deputy chief positions—responsible for overseeing administration and serving as a liaison with the province—vacant from the start of their tenure.

The number of vacant positions may also increase. Examples include Suwon and other places where deputy chiefs are approaching retirement.

If the province does not carry out deputy chief appointments by January of next year as announced, there is potential for deputy chief vacancies to expand depending on the timing of successor appointments.

An official from a basic local government stated, "Deputy chiefs hold positions as automatic chairpersons of dozens of committees, and as the vacancy lengthens, administrative difficulties mount," adding "Even chief executives from the same party are experiencing practical difficulties stemming from vacant deputy chief positions."

Another official from a basic local government remarked, "If this is the case, we should either give the appointment authority legally to the government and regional government, or allow local governments to substantively make appointments as specified by law," continuing "If we continue this way, additional regions where deputy chief positions become vacant will inevitably face the same problem."

The province maintains the position that organizational diagnosis and restructuring for fiscal crisis response must proceed before personnel appointments.

The province's explanation is that if personnel appointments are made without first reorganizing the organization through measures such as streamlining redundant operations and eliminating departmental silos, personnel must be reallocated within months, resulting in organizational operational inefficiencies.

A provincial official stated, "Personnel appointments without organizational innovation and sense of responsibility cannot prevent the recurrence of fiscal crises," adding "the plan is to first reorganize the inefficient organization and subsequently establish personnel principles for the ninth term of civilian government."