Seoul Metropolitan Council to Discuss Oh Se-hoon's 'Organizational Restructuring' in May

Oh Se-hoon's Organizational Restructuring Plan Reduces Urban Regeneration, Strengthens Housing Policy Functions... Abolishes Seoul Democracy Committee

Photo / On the morning of the 22nd, at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, the online inauguration ceremony of Mayor Oh Se-hoon was held, during which Mayor Oh Se-hoon and Kim In-ho, Chairman of the Seoul Metropolitan Council, shook hands. April 22, 2021 / Photo by Joint Press Corps

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Council plans to hold a standing committee meeting of the Planning and Economy Committee later this month to discuss the organizational restructuring plan proposed by Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon.

According to the council on the 12th, the standing committee will consider agenda items including the revision of ordinances, the ordinance on the establishment of administrative organizations, and the amendment of enforcement rules, including the number of public officials to be submitted by the Seoul city executive branch. If the agenda passes the standing committee, the council will hold a so-called 'one-point' extraordinary session to handle it. This agenda marks the first restructuring plan since Mayor Oh took office and serves as a cornerstone for setting the direction of Seoul's administration.

Initially, some members of the council reportedly showed skepticism toward Mayor Oh's restructuring plan, which is seen as an attempt to erase the legacy of the late former Mayor Park Won-soon. In particular, voices opposing swift approval came from within the Democratic Party of Korea, which holds an absolute majority in the council. However, it is reported that Speaker Kim In-ho and other council leaders decided to proceed with holding the extraordinary session to maintain a cooperative stance with Mayor Oh in his early term.

Mayor Oh plans to abolish the Urban Regeneration Office, which former Mayor Park had empowered, and expand the Housing and Architecture Headquarters into the Housing Policy Office. The functions previously handled by the Urban Regeneration Office will be divided between the Housing Policy Office and the newly established Balanced Development Headquarters. This is interpreted as a shift in the urban regeneration policy focus toward strengthening housing supply policies. Additionally, Mayor Oh intends to abolish the Seoul Democracy Commission and establish a Citizen Cooperation Bureau.

Mayor Oh will also reorganize his advisory body. Instead of the policy special advisor, public relations special advisor, and gender special advisor from former Mayor Park's administration, he plans to appoint a future strategy special advisor, political chief secretary, and policy chief secretary to lead the city administration. It is reported that Mayor Oh has conveyed to the council his intention to complete the organizational restructuring promptly to secure momentum for policy implementation.

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