Gyeonggi-do Secretary-General Changes Every 6 Months... Has It Become a 'Promotion Course'?

Gyeonggi Provincial Government

There is already growing interest in who will become the next Chief Secretary to Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon.

This is because, in the past year since Governor Kim Dong-yeon took office, both Chief Secretaries have been promoted, leading to the formula "Chief Secretary = stepping stone to advancement."

Jeong Gu-won, who was selected as the first Chief Secretary of the 8th elected term through an internal competition last year, was promoted to Director of the Labor Bureau after six months, and in this personnel reshuffle, he moved to the position of Director of the Autonomous Administration Bureau, the head of non-examined public officials.

Following Director Jeong, Kim Sang-su, who became the second Chief Secretary, was promoted to Director of the Transportation Bureau in about six months during this personnel reshuffle.

Kim Sang-su was originally evaluated as someone who could assist the governor for more than a year. However, with his promotion after just six months, Gyeonggi Province is now searching for the third Chief Secretary within one year of Governor Kim Dong-yeon's inauguration.

Within the Gyeonggi Provincial Government, there are concerns about the negative impact that such frequent changes of Chief Secretary might bring.

In fact, during the process of compiling the achievements of Governor Kim Dong-yeon's first year in office, some issues in the implementation of campaign promises surfaced, and internally, responsibility was attributed to the Chief Secretary's office.

Some speculate that as Governor Kim Dong-yeon enters his second year, he may bring in a Chief Secretary from outside to more closely manage major provincial policies, current issues, and campaign promises.

However, this possibility does not seem high at present. Bringing in an external figure would require revising the "Gyeonggi Province Administrative Organization and Staffing Ordinance Enforcement Rules." Also, since Governor Kim promised residents that he would select a Chief Secretary familiar with provincial administration through an open competition rather than a close aide, it would not be easy to break that promise.

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