Concerns Over Disruptions in Gyeonggi Province Administration Due to Multiple Vacancies in Subordinate Agencies

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Voices expressing concerns about disruptions in provincial administration are growing as more than 10 public institutions under Gyeonggi Province are operating under acting leadership without heads. In particular, some institutions have had vacant leadership positions for over a year, heightening these worries.

According to Gyeonggi Province and its affiliated organizations on the 11th, the province received two candidates for the president position from Gyeonggi Housing and Urban Development Corporation (GH) on the 24th of last month. After conducting eligibility reviews, the province judged that neither of the two candidates was suitable for the GH president position and notified GH on the 27th of last month to recommend new candidates. Accordingly, GH plans to proceed with an additional recruitment process for the president.

A GH official stated, "The schedule and methods for the re-recruitment have not been specifically decided yet," adding, "Considering that the procedure usually takes one to two months, it is expected to take a considerable amount of time until a new president is appointed."

Including GH, the public institutions in the province currently operating under acting leadership due to the absence of heads are ▲ Gyeonggi Pyeongtaek Port Corporation ▲ Gyeonggi Tourism Organization ▲ Gyeonggi Transportation Corporation ▲ Gyeonggi Research Institute ▲ Gyeonggi Technopark ▲ Gyeonggi Suwon World Cup Stadium Management Foundation ▲ Gyeonggi Art Center ▲ Gyeonggi Welfare Foundation ▲ Korea Gyeonggi Corporation, among others.

Gyeonggi Tourism Organization has been without a head for nearly 15 months since former president Yoo Dong-gyu resigned in December 2020. The Gyeonggi Research Institute has also had a vacant leadership position for about five months since former president Lee Han-joo stepped down in September last year. Despite conducting the first recruitment from October 18 and the second from November 15 of the same year, no suitable candidate was found.

Gyeonggi Technopark, Gyeonggi Suwon World Cup Stadium Management Foundation, and Gyeonggi Art Center are also searching for successors but are struggling to find qualified candidates.

The difficulty these institutions face in appointing heads is closely related to the upcoming local elections scheduled for June 1 this year. If a new governor of Gyeonggi Province is elected, there is a high possibility that heads of affiliated institutions will be replaced with individuals aligned with the new governor's personnel policies, which discourages many from applying for positions that would last only a few months.

An official from Institution A said, "When the new governor takes office in July, it is highly likely that people aligned with the governor's policies will be appointed as heads," and questioned, "Who would want to come as a head for just a few months under these circumstances?"

As major institutions in the province operate under acting leadership without heads, there are also setbacks in project implementation.

Meanwhile, some institutions such as the Next-Generation Convergence Technology Research Institute are also approaching the expiration of their heads' terms next month, indicating that the number of vacant leadership positions in public institutions under the province is expected to increase further.

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