Seongnam Mayor Shin Sang-jin urged on September 14 for the immediate appointment of a deputy mayor, stating that addressing the vacancy is more urgent than appointing the head of the newly established Central Disaster Management Headquarters.
In a message on Facebook, Mayor Shin called on Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae to swiftly resolve the vacancy of the Seongnam deputy mayor position.
Shin emphasized that he does not know the newly appointed head of the Central Disaster Management Headquarters, Kim Ji-yong, and insisted that before discussing the appointment of someone unrelated to Seongnam, the deputy mayor position must be filled.
The deputy mayor position has been vacant since the previous deputy mayor retired on June 30.
Shin expressed that Gyeonggi Province should not delay the appointment until January of next year and should act immediately.
He raised strong concerns about the prolonged vacancy, citing the administrative demands and key issues facing Seongnam, which has a population of 910,000 and is undergoing significant redevelopment in Bundang, a district with 98,000 households.
Shin argued that it is unreasonable to wait until January for the appointment, especially given the city's higher administrative needs compared to other special cities.
He also pointed out the potential administrative gaps during disaster response, questioning, "Who will take responsibility if the deputy mayor is needed to lead the disaster response headquarters?" He stressed that the vacancy could directly impact citizen safety.
Regarding the role of the deputy mayor, Shin noted that the deputy mayor is required to chair 70 committees, highlighting the necessity for a prompt appointment.
According to publicly available data, the deputy mayor serves as the ex-officio chair of these committees.
Shin views the organizational restructuring in Gyeonggi Province and the appointment of deputy mayors as separate issues. He stated, "The appointment of the Seongnam deputy mayor should not be postponed until next year due to organizational restructuring," emphasizing that restructuring can proceed independently while the deputy mayor appointment should happen immediately.
He concluded by urging for a swift appointment before public sentiment shifts towards questioning the effectiveness of Gyeonggi Province.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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