Gyeonggi Tourism Organization, Consecutive 'Voluntary Withdrawals' of President Candidates

Taste Columnist Hwang Kyo-ik Resigns Ahead of Appointment, Followed by Candidate Lee Jae-sung

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Candidate Lee Jae-sung (62), who was nominated as the president of the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization, has voluntarily withdrawn. This marks the second withdrawal following the voluntary resignation of "food columnist" candidate Hwang Kyo-ik last August.

Through a text message sent the day before, Candidate Lee stated, "I have thought a lot after the hearing on the 23rd," and added, "For the sake of Gyeonggi Province, the Provincial Council, the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization, and its employees, I have decided to voluntarily withdraw from the nomination."

Earlier, during the personnel hearing held by the Provincial Council on the 23rd, Candidate Lee was criticized by council members for insufficient answers regarding Gyeonggi Province's tourism vision, provincial administration, and understanding of local autonomy and decentralization.

With Candidate Lee's voluntary withdrawal, the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization has had a vacancy in its leadership position for over a year since former president Yoo Dong-gyu resigned at the end of last year.

The Gyeonggi Tourism Organization had nominated "food columnist" Hwang Kyo-ik as president through a public recruitment process last August, but he voluntarily resigned amid controversy.

Meanwhile, among the 27 public institutions under Gyeonggi Province, seven institutions including Gyeonggi Housing and Urban Development Corporation (GH), Gyeonggi Research Institute, Gyeonggi Technopark, Gyeonggi Pyeongtaek Port Authority, Gyeonggi Suwon World Cup Stadium Management Foundation, Gyeonggi Welfare Foundation, and Gyeonggi Pyeongtaek Port Authority currently have vacant leadership positions.

Among these, the Gyeonggi Research Institute has conducted two rounds of recruitment for its president but has not hired anyone due to a lack of qualified candidates. Gyeonggi Technopark and Pyeongtaek Port Authority are conducting a second round of recruitment after no suitable candidates were found in the first round.

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