Seoul City Senior Personnel and Organizational Reshuffle, Accelerating 'Oh Se-hoon Style' Administration

Choosing 'Stability' by Promoting Internal Personnel
Full-Scale Organizational Restructuring Underway, TF Team Launched to Promote Comprehensive Support Pledge for Single-Person Households... Housing Supply Sector Also Strengthened

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is attending the Cabinet meeting held at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 20th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Since his inauguration, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has been rapidly assembling his team to accelerate the so-called 'Oh Se-hoon-style' administration by consecutively appointing deputy mayors for administration and political affairs, followed by key second-level executive positions. He is also seeking organizational changes, such as forming a task force (TF) to concretize his first major campaign pledge, the 'Comprehensive Support for Single-Person Households' policy.

According to Seoul City on the 20th, Mayor Oh appointed Baek Ho, head of the Waterworks Business Headquarters, as the new Director of the Urban Transportation Office, and assigned Kim Tae-gyun, Administrative Director, as the successor head of the Waterworks Business Headquarters. Kim Sang-han, head of the Regional Development Headquarters, was appointed as the new Administrative Director. Once spokesperson appointments are finalized soon, the senior executive appointments at the city hall are expected to be completed.

Earlier, Mayor Oh made deputy mayor appointments just ten days after taking office. He nominated Kim Do-sik, former secretary to the leader of the People’s Party, as Deputy Mayor for Political Affairs, Jo In-dong, Director of the Planning and Coordination Office, as Deputy Mayor for Administration 1, and Ryu Hoon, Director of the Urban Regeneration Office, as Deputy Mayor for Administration 2. He also selected Jeong Sang-hoon, head of the Hub Growth Promotion Team, as Chief Secretary. The Deputy Mayors for Administration 1 and 2 are political appointees at the vice-ministerial level and will be appointed after presidential approval.

The secretariat organization to closely assist Mayor Oh is also taking shape. Seoul City selected four staff members through an internal recruitment process to work closely with Jeong Sang-hoon, who has been nominated as Chief Secretary. These staff members will manage Mayor Oh’s schedule and coordinate between internal and external departments and agencies.

Regarding these senior appointments, the prevailing assessment is that stability was chosen over radical change. Except for Kim Do-sik, the Deputy Mayor for Political Affairs nominee, all other key positions?including the Deputy Mayors for Administration 1 and 2, Director of the Urban Transportation Office, Administrative Director, and Chief Secretary?were filled by internal candidates. Given the mayor’s term of just over a year, this is seen as a risk-minimizing choice to ensure smooth governance and fulfillment of campaign pledges. A Seoul City official said, "The initial appointments by Mayor Oh appear to be the final steps. Since the term is short, there is a strong emphasis on leading the organization stably."

Following the senior appointments, preparations for organizational restructuring have also begun. Ahead of the regular personnel reshuffle scheduled for July, rapid changes are difficult due to the need for Seoul City Council approval for a full-scale reorganization. Therefore, it is highly likely that a transitional task force (TF) will be organized to implement the 'Oh Se-hoon-style' administration.

Mayor Oh has officially launched the 'Special Task Force for Single-Person Household Measures' to concretize his first campaign pledge, the 'Comprehensive Support for 1.3 Million Single-Person Households' policy. After revising regulations, this TF will fill the administrative gap until the establishment of the 'Special Promotion Team for Single-Person Household Measures' in May. The TF consists of 17 members: one director at the bureau chief level, one team leader at the section chief level, and 15 staff members. Kang Seon-seop, current head of the Civil Affairs Judicial Police Unit, was appointed as the 'Special Promotion Team Director for Single-Person Household Measures,' and Im Ji-hoon, current head of the Campus Town Revitalization Division, was appointed as the 'Special Promotion Team Leader.'

A Seoul City official explained, "The newly established dedicated organization will serve as a control tower for supporting single-person households. It will integrate functions currently dispersed across various offices, bureaus, and headquarters, restructure existing projects from the perspective of single-person households, and develop new projects to provide demand-tailored services."

The Housing and Architecture Headquarters under the Deputy Mayor for Administration 2 is also expected to expand to fulfill the 'Speedy Housing Supply' pledge. Currently, the Housing and Architecture Headquarters consists of seven divisions and one center. To concretize housing supply plans, Mayor Oh intends to increase staff in the Housing and Architecture Headquarters and consolidate functions and personnel currently divided between the Urban Regeneration Office and the Urban Planning Bureau. The Urban Regeneration Office, which former Mayor Park Won-soon had emphasized, is likely to see a relative reduction in its role.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and Seoul Metropolitan Council Chairman Kim In-ho are posing for a commemorative photo at the mutual cooperation business agreement ceremony held on the afternoon of the 19th at the Seoul Metropolitan Council in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

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