How Should We View the Seoul Metropolitan Council Secretary-General Who Complained, "Am I a Subordinate?"

Seoul Metropolitan Council Steering Committee (Chair Kim Jeong-tae) Holds Special Session on the 18th, Notable Clash Between Council Members and Secretary-General Kim Sang-in During Inquiry on Ongoing Senior Specialist Recruitment

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] On the afternoon of the 18th, a commotion broke out at the Seoul Metropolitan Council's Steering Committee (Chairman Kim Jeong-tae).

On this day, the Steering Committee became an issue as the personnel authority for Seoul Metropolitan Council staff was transferred to the council chairman due to the revision of the Local Autonomy Act, and the council recently began recruiting for senior specialist positions.

The Seoul Metropolitan Council (Chairman Kim In-ho) recently announced a new recruitment notice for senior specialist positions (Open Type No. 4) and is proceeding with the process.

The new recruitment targets a total of six positions: senior specialists in the offices of Operations, Environment and Water Resources, Urban Safety and Construction, Transportation, Education, and the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts. Applications are accepted from February 28 to March 7, followed by document screening and interviews in March, with final successful candidates to be announced in April.

Accordingly, the senior specialists reportedly felt insecure about their status and lobbied the steering committee members.

During the Steering Committee meeting held that day, Assemblymen L and J raised issues regarding the recruitment process for senior specialists and continued focused questioning of Secretary-General Kim Sang-in.

During the questioning, Secretary-General Kim Sang-in, somewhat agitated, retorted, "Am I your subordinate?" leading Chairman Kim Jeong-tae to strike the gavel so hard that it fell to the floor, escalating into a tense situation.

Secretary-General Kim appeared to express his frustration in this manner while responding to the assembly members' questions, believing that the recruitment process was being conducted properly according to the Seoul Metropolitan Council Personnel Committee regulations established last month.

However, Chairman Kim Jeong-tae, acting as the moderator, stated, "How can the council's Secretary-General protest to assembly members by saying, 'Then I will ask the questions. Am I your subordinate?' and become so agitated as to strike the gavel, nearly causing a crisis?"

Kim Sang-in (66), a 26th Administrative Examination pass, previously served as the Chair of the Appeals Review Committee at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety at the vice-minister level, then completed his term as president of Daeduk University. He was selected last year-end through an open recruitment process as the first Secretary-General (equivalent to Grade 1) appointed by the Seoul Metropolitan Council through recruitment.

Having spent his entire career in public service, Kim's inability to respond flexibly to assembly members' questions and his strong conviction-driven conduct appear to have intensified the controversy.

This was an unprecedented incident that would have been unimaginable when the Secretary-General of the council was a Seoul city official.

However, from Kim's perspective as a former high-ranking official at the vice-minister level, it can be interpreted as a statement of his determination not to unconditionally accept unreasonable claims or attitudes from assembly members, especially as he was appointed through an open recruitment process.

Nevertheless, a Seoul Metropolitan Council official commented, "No matter what, it seems wrong that Secretary-General Kim responded to the assembly members in such a manner that day."

Another senior official of the Seoul Metropolitan Council sympathized, saying, "Kim must have been so frustrated to make such remarks to the assembly members."

Additionally, during the Steering Committee meeting held on the 7th, when an assembly member asked, "Why is one position being converted to a general administrative post?" Kim responded, "The previous senior specialist of the Health and Welfare Committee received the lowest performance evaluations in 2019 and 2020 and was in the bottom 10% in multi-faceted evaluations. To manage this situation, it was considered better to appoint an internal candidate with public service experience," as reported by the media.

Kim also stated, "We will conduct a research project on organizational and staffing improvement measures to address various issues in the Secretariat's operations," and "The recruitment of senior specialists will be handled fairly according to legal regulations and principles."

The Seoul Metropolitan Council is conducting the recruitment process to revitalize the organization by replacing some senior specialists who have fallen into complacency after long service.

Because the concerned employees feel insecure about their status, it is reported that they are lobbying assembly members for support, causing some discord.

A Seoul Metropolitan Council official said, "Resistance always accompanies reform," and added, "It is desirable to proceed with the recruitment process according to laws and principles."

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