Why Are Seoul District Mayors Growing Increasingly Concerned with Less Than a Year Until Local Elections?

The congressman holding the district mayor nomination rights has strong organizational control, expected to have decisive influence on nominations; good relations with the district council and others are especially important... Also, internal staff evaluations greatly affect nominations and general elections... Particularly, appointing outsiders as secretaries can form unofficial lines within the organization, increasing risks of corruption, so caution is needed.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Less than a year remains until next year's local elections. The outlook for next year's presidential election also continues to be unpredictable.

Naturally, the prospects for the 8th term of the directly elected local government elections next year are becoming very uncertain. In particular, the Democratic Party of Korea has achieved three consecutive victories over 12 years from the 5th to the 7th terms, controlling 24 out of 25 autonomous districts in Seoul, which is increasing interest in next year's local elections.

Because of this, most district mayors in Seoul are likely already growing concerned.

Seoul's 25 district offices employ between 1,000 and 1,500 staff members. Managing such a large organization and supporting the lives of district residents makes the position of district mayor in Seoul a role with many challenges. Often, they must deal with harassment from local residents and resolve complaints that are not easy to solve, among many other tasks.

Moreover, with less than a year left until the local elections, concerns about whether they will receive party nominations are growing. Above all, their biggest worry is likely their relationship with members of the National Assembly, because the actual nomination rights are held by the local National Assembly members.

Of course, a sitting district mayor might think, "Since I am the incumbent, surely I will be nominated," but if relations with the local National Assembly member sour, receiving a nomination will not be easy. This is because the local National Assembly member effectively controls the local organizations, including district council members, city council members, and party members.

For this reason, some district mayors in Seoul are already facing predictions that it will be difficult to secure nominations next year. Because of this, politically savvy staff have begun to keenly monitor who might win the upcoming election.

That said, National Assembly members are unlikely to withhold nominations from district mayors without reason, as losing a district mayor could cause significant difficulties in their own elections.

However, various evaluations will be the most important variables, including political assessments from district and city council members, leadership within the organization, evaluations from staff, and feedback from residents. In particular, if the district mayor has poor relations with district council chairs and council members, who are their partners, it is difficult for positive public opinion to form through various channels.

In this context, evaluations from district office staff are very important. If a district mayor mistreats executives or causes harm to employees, it can be fatal.

Additionally, appointing outsiders as chief secretaries or special advisors to create another unofficial power line within the organization can also cause problems. Outsiders include retired public officials from the district office. For a district mayor, leading the organization centered on district office staff is the most stable way to operate and will result in better evaluations.

Politician-turned district mayors sometimes appoint outsiders as chief secretaries or special advisors, which can create another "power broker" (unofficial power line). In such cases, personnel scandals such as promotion corruption often arise. Due to the nature of public officials, there is a tendency to try to curry favor with such individuals to gain promotions.

However, when the organization is led mainly by existing staff and operated as a system, such disturbances are minimal. Stable management is possible, and the district mayor’s evaluation will naturally be better.

A senior official from one autonomous district recently told a reporter, "Being a district mayor is not an easy position. While residents' evaluations are important, with less than a year left until the election, the difficult processes of nomination and the main election remain, so above all, staff evaluations are the most important."

Although it sounds like a very "simple statement," it carried a "profound meaning" that if internal evaluations are not properly received, good results will never follow.

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