Park Wan-su's Gyeongnam Provincial Government Announces 271 First Promotion Nominees, Signaling a 'Radical Organizational Restructuring'

Placement Based on Expertise and Ability Instead of Seniority

Gyeongnam Provincial Government. / Photo by Se-ryeong Lee ryeong@

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] The first promotion candidates under the 8th term Park Wansu provincial administration were announced on the 25th.

Gyeongnam Province held a personnel committee meeting on the same day and disclosed 271 promotion candidates, including 2 at grade 3, 8 at grade 4, 19 at grade 5, and 242 below grade 6, due to retirement factors such as honorary retirement and organizational restructuring.

This personnel appointment is the first promotion under the 8th term Gyeongsangnam-do Governor Park Wansu, and the selection of promotees was comprehensively made considering individual work performance and contribution to provincial administration.

A provincial official stated that promotion candidates at grade 4 and above were selected with an emphasis on expertise and work ability rather than seniority, and organizational management capabilities as managers, as well as communication and empathy skills, were also considered.

At grade 3, Lee Kihoon, head of Urban Planning Division, who promoted smart city development and Gyeongnam-customized urban regeneration, and Choi Youngho, head of Administration Division, who worked to strengthen local autonomy capabilities through communication and cooperation, were each appointed.

Ryu Haeseok, head of Industrial Innovation Division, was recognized for achievements such as establishing the Gyeongnam-type New Deal Fund and fostering the local information and communication technology and software industry, and was decided as acting director-level.

According to the province, grade 4 promotees were employees who quietly performed their duties in industries such as industry, culture, education, urban development, and agriculture to overcome the difficult local economic situation caused by COVID-19.

A total of 19 people were selected for grade 5 promotion due to additional demand such as merit retirement and honorary retirement, and 242 people below grade 6 were selected considering work performance and current grade experience.

A provincial official emphasized, “In deciding this promotion, employees in project departments were given preference over administrative support departments preferred by employees, and those suspected of involvement in misconduct, regardless of factual accuracy, were excluded from promotion candidates. This fully reflects Governor Park Wansu’s administrative philosophy of becoming a working organization and a clean provincial administration.”

Gyeongnam Province plans to announce personnel transfers for heads of offices and bureaus, deputy heads, and section chiefs within this week following this promotion announcement.

Personnel appointments below grade 5 will be disclosed early next week to support the full implementation of the reorganized provincial administration aligned with the effective date of the organizational restructuring plan on August 4.

A provincial official said, “A drastic organizational restructuring, including the abolition of 88 section chief positions, will be carried out to lead the recovery of the stagnant Gyeongnam economy and enable residents to feel the changing Gyeongnam. We plan to support a performance-centered working organization and a flexible and speedy organization by assigning personnel based on expertise and ability rather than seniority.”

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