The Life Turnaround of Seoul District Directors: Yangji Becomes Eumji, and Eumji Becomes Yangji

The Story Behind the Role Reversal of Seoul District B and D Directors Who Started as Grade 9 in Seoul City in 1988 Following the Change of Mayors in the 8th Term

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] About a month after the launch of the 8th term of the elected government, personnel reshuffles are taking place in each autonomous district of Seoul, resulting in a newly reorganized human composition.

In particular, unlike the 12 years during the 6th and 7th terms since the 5th term in 2010 when mayors from the Democratic Party of Korea dominated Seoul’s district offices, the results of the 8th term election saw 17 out of 25 autonomous districts switch to mayors affiliated with the People Power Party, leading to a power shift in each district office.

Of course, many People Power Party mayors have opted for personnel appointments favoring stability rather than major organizational changes upon taking office, so overall there has been no significant upheaval.

Nevertheless, key posts such as the Director of Administration, General Affairs Manager, Audit Manager, and Director of Autonomous Administration are being staffed with individuals who can promptly execute the mayor’s intentions.

In this trend, some executives who were doing well during the previous mayor’s term have been relegated to less important positions, while some who were in less prominent roles have been promoted to key posts.

Directors B of Seoul A Autonomous District and Director D of C Autonomous District are representative figures attracting attention.

Both Director B and Director D started their public service careers in 1988 as grade 9 officials in Seoul, having graduated from high school or passed the GED. Director B was born in 1965, and Director D in 1964.

Director B experienced humiliation when, due to his previous role as chief secretary under the former mayor, he was dispatched to a neighboring autonomous district for two years during the 5th term. However, he was recognized for his capabilities to the extent that he served as a key team leader in the dispatched district.

Even afterward, Director B did not enter major posts but, based on his diligence, served as Public Relations Manager and Director of Autonomous Administration during the 7th term, eventually being promoted to grade 4 (director). He endured solely through his competence.

However, with the change of mayor in this election, Director B was immediately appointed as the first director, the Director of Administration.

On the other hand, Director D created a surprise by being promoted to grade 4 and becoming a director at a young age in July 2018, the start of the 7th term. Accordingly, he enjoyed the fortune of serving as a grade 4 official for over six years until retirement. Moreover, two years ago, he even served as the first director, the Director of Administration, acting as the right-hand man of the former mayor.

However, his successful career seemed to plummet overnight with the change of mayor, as he was transferred to a previous post as a director.

This shows that even in the public service sector, it is truly difficult to predict what lies ahead. A manager from one autonomous district said, “Since mayors are elected officials, it is common for executives who are doing well to fall from grace overnight,” adding a pointed remark, “As the proverb goes, ‘the sunny place becomes shady, and the shady place becomes sunny,’ so one must always remain humble when doing well.”

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