[6.1 Local Elections] Will Seoul District Office Staff Also Become a Variable in District Chief Elections?

Attention to claims that employee evaluations of incumbent district mayors running in the upcoming June 1 local elections could decisively influence voting... "With 30 years of local election history, it is increasingly suggested to first consider employees' 4-year tenure evaluations of candidates' character, personality, and competence before voting."

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] "In this local election, the votes of Seoul district office employees cannot be ignored."

This is a recent remark from Mr. A, a department head of a district office in Seoul.

Seoul's 25 autonomous districts each have about 1,200 to 1,500 employees. Therefore, it is analyzed that the influence these employees have on the election is by no means insignificant.

In particular, about one-third of the employees in each district reside in the area, so when combining their votes with those of their families, relatives, and nearby residents, it is predicted that they will have considerable influence on the election.

A resident B of one district said, "There are often cases where employees are asked to evaluate the incumbent district mayor running for office, so the employees' evaluations could be a major variable."

Accordingly, among the incumbent district mayors running in the June 1 local elections, those who have made employees' work difficult or have poor evaluations are clearly expected to have a negative impact on the election.

Before the election, some of the 25 district mayors of Seoul were evaluated as having communication problems with their employees.

Another district official C said, "Especially in cases where district office employees were not communicated with and were made to struggle, where conflicts arose with employee representative groups, or where only outside opinions were heard and executives were scolded, some district mayors did not receive good evaluations from employees," adding, "These individuals are expected to receive poor evaluations in this election."

Incumbent district mayors hold tremendous influence. Once elected, they exercise enormous power not only over personnel authority for thousands of employees but also over regional business rights worth billions of won annually.

Because of this, it is said that the ultimate dream of Seoul district councilors and city councilors is to become a district mayor.

If a person with a distorted personality and character becomes a district mayor?a powerful position guaranteed for four years?they could make the district office employees' work difficult throughout their term and cause communication problems with residents.

Mr. D, a department head of a Seoul district office, said, "Usually, people vote for district mayors based on party affiliation, but it is absolutely necessary to ask district office employees about the character and personality of the candidate before voting."

This is because if one votes solely based on party labels, the impact on district office employees and residents over four years can be enormous.

"We must absolutely prevent a person lacking proper character from becoming a district mayor," said another department head E of a Seoul district office, a statement that deserves serious attention.

Ultimately, while each resident's vote determines the winner, more people are pointing out the need to cast votes after sharp judgment not only on candidates' policies but also on their character and competence.

This year marks 30 years since the first direct election of Seoul district mayors began in the first term of civilian government.

It is essential to hear the reputation of the incumbent district mayor running for office before voting.

There is also growing attention to voices urging a cold and objective evaluation of other candidates running in this election.

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