What Type of Deputy District Mayor Do Seoul District Office Officials Dislike the Most?

Due to a dogmatic personality, the deputy district mayor failed to communicate with district office executives, dislikes most things, and sometimes does not actively support the district mayor's Seoul city pledge projects, resulting in poor evaluations and potential short tenure.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] It is the personnel season.

Not only the Seoul Metropolitan Government but also the 25 autonomous districts are carrying out promotions and transfers to form their organizations for the new year 2021.

Seoul City was expected to make no major changes in this personnel reshuffle and to implement it around the end of the year, but it was delayed somewhat and is now scheduled to carry out transfers for grade 3 (department heads) and grade 4 (section chiefs) on January 6 next year.

Because of this, the appointments of grade 3 or higher executives who attended training this year as deputy district heads in the autonomous districts are also expected to be made on that day, drawing interest among district office employees who are already asking, "Who will come as our deputy district head?"

District heads are politicians and often considerate of district office employees who are also residents.

However, deputy district heads, who are career public officials, have a different nature.

Especially, some autonomous district officials who have been troubled by former or current deputy district heads show very sensitive reactions.

A team leader in one autonomous district said, "Our current deputy district head has a very good character and works hard, but since he is moving to the main office, I am already worried about who will succeed him," and asked about the rumors.

As such, the deputy district head holds a very important position as "one person underground, many people (about 1,200 to 1,500 employees) above ground" under the district head.

Many Seoul city executives also hope to be assigned as deputy district heads.

Being at the Seoul city main office means having many superiors and difficult work, so quite a few people want to go down to a district office for a year or two and then return.

◇The deputy district heads most disliked by district office employees are also ‘authoritarian’ people

A team leader at a district office confided to a reporter a few years ago, "Our deputy district head only scolds when approving documents, so I hate even seeing his face." That deputy district head left behind the stigma of being the "least popular deputy district head" during his tenure. Even though he left more than two years ago, this evaluation remains among executives.

That deputy district head tended to scold over trivial matters such as typos in documents rather than discussing the content of projects, so which subordinate would like that?

Another autonomous district executive harshly criticized a deputy district head who seemed to have struggled when first assigned, saying, "Our deputy district head is like a stepmother." There are rumors that the deputy district head currently working has changed.

This phenomenon is by no means a thing of the past. There are still rumors that some deputy district heads in several autonomous districts lack communication skills and make executives’ work difficult.

A deputy district head in a Seoul autonomous district narrowly escaped being sent back to Seoul City only six months after appointment last year. Rumors were rife that the district head wanted to send him back because he made employees’ work difficult. Especially, if deputy district heads make section chiefs and other executives’ work difficult, they convey this to the district head, who is a politician and feels burdened, leading to the deputy district head being sent back to Seoul City.

Another type of deputy district head who does minimal work and tries to joke around with attractive female employees is also disliked. One such deputy district head was even disciplined for allegations of sexually harassing a young female employee, causing shock.

This type is a representative example that both executives and general employees strongly dislike.

◇There are also deputy district heads whom district heads do not want to work with

However, there are deputy district heads disliked by district heads. District heads are elected through elections and always bear the burden of fulfilling promises made to residents.

Therefore, deputy district heads who are Seoul City executives must above all strive through dialogue with Seoul City executives to ensure the successful implementation of the district head’s pledged projects.

Nevertheless, deputy district heads who fail to meet expectations do not last long and suffer the humiliation of being replaced.

The cases mentioned earlier of making executives’ work difficult are also disliked by district heads.

One district head recently complained, "There are many areas where cooperation with Seoul City is necessary, such as reconstruction, but it seems the role is not being fulfilled as expected."

At the same time, there are district heads disliked by deputy district heads, which has drawn attention. One Seoul district head reportedly had conflicts with the deputy district head while pushing forward a project of personal interest too aggressively. The deputy district head argued that pushing the work too hard could cause legal problems, but the district head did not accept this, and eventually the deputy district head had to be transferred elsewhere. It is also known that the district head replaced not only the deputy district head but also team leaders and other staff through personnel reshuffles after they opposed the project.

Whether district head or deputy district head, if they communicate and faithfully perform their roles within a reasonable scope recognized by all without overstepping, they will have a long tenure.

The secret to the longevity of deputy district heads such as Cheon Jeong-wook of Seocho-gu, the longest-serving deputy district head, Han Young-hee of Seongdong-gu, Choi Hong-yeon of Dongdaemun-gu, Kang Pil-young of Jongno-gu, Yoo Jae-ryong of Gwanak-gu, and Jeong Hwan-jung of Gangdong-gu seems to be exactly this reason.

An executive in an autonomous district said, "Although deputy district heads hold strong power in the district office, it is true that employees also evaluate them."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.