"Can't Even Take What's Given?" Jeonnam Provincial Council Faces Controversy Over Abandoning Personnel Independence

After Self-Congratulation Over Grade 3 Internal Promotion and "Personnel Authority Independence,"
Council Hands Over Grade 4 Appointment Power to Executive Branch
Criticism Mounts Over Democratic Party-Dominated Council: "Now Even Personnel Authority Is Surrendered"
Jeonnam Province Resolves Personnel Bottleneck... Concerns Rise Over Staff Political Maneuvering

Jeonnam Provincial Council Building Exterior

The Jeonnam Provincial Council is facing growing controversy as it considers filling a vacant section chief (Grade 4) position with an appointee from the executive branch (Jeonnam Provincial Government) rather than through an internal promotion. Just a few days ago, after celebrating its first-ever internal promotion to Grade 3 since the council's founding and declaring that it had established true personnel independence, the council now finds itself in an awkward situation.

According to Jeonnam Province and the Jeonnam Provincial Council on July 9, during the regular personnel appointments for the second half of the year (for Grades 2 to 4 and below) on July 1, Lee Hyungrae, the council's general affairs officer (Grade 4), was promoted to Grade 3 (Deputy Director-General) for the first time since the council's establishment. This was the first high-level internal promotion at the council since personnel authority was institutionalized as independent from the provincial government in 2022.

During this process, Section Chief A, who was not promoted, recently applied for honorary retirement and stepped down from the position.

The council reportedly plans to fill the vacant Grade 4 position during the regular team leader-level personnel appointments for Grade 5 and below, scheduled for July 25 by Jeonnam Province.

The issue is that the council is considering filling the Grade 4 vacancy not through internal promotion, but by accepting an appointee dispatched from the executive branch.

In fact, on July 2, it is known that Kim Taegyun, chairperson of the Jeonnam Provincial Council, and a director from the executive branch held discussions on a personnel plan centered on promotions to Grade 4. During this meeting, it was effectively agreed that the Grade 4 position would be filled by someone from the executive branch, rather than through an internal promotion within the council.

While the current personnel system allows for personnel exchanges between the executive branch and the council without procedural issues, the council is essentially putting itself under the shadow of the executive branch without a clear justification, creating an unprecedented farce.

In fact, the independence of the council’s personnel authority is significant in terms of monitoring and checking the executive branch. The recent internal promotion to Grade 3 was hailed as a breakthrough, as it broke the executive branch's traditional monopoly over council appointments and established autonomous personnel authority without having to be mindful of the executive branch.

However, the council's decision to forgo an internal promotion for the Grade 4 position is widely seen as a regression to past practices.

Once this information spread through the corridors of the provincial government and the council, considerable dissatisfaction emerged within the council. In particular, there have been repeated complaints that the purpose of personnel independence has been undermined. Some even sarcastically say that the council, dominated by the Democratic Party, is not only acting as a rubber stamp for the executive branch but is also voluntarily handing over its personnel authority.

On the other hand, the executive branch has unexpectedly benefited, as it can now resolve internal dissatisfaction over accumulated personnel bottlenecks caused by the council’s personnel independence. This has given the executive branch a new tool to tighten organizational control.

Since this personnel need arose unexpectedly, some employees who are potential candidates are already growing restless. There is talk that, just in case, they are weighing whom to align themselves with.

An employee of the council commented, "Just a few days ago, there was a big fuss about establishing the council's personnel independence, and now this happens. It makes no sense to give up on an internal appointment when there are plenty of qualified people within the council."

A member of the Jeonnam Provincial Council also stated, "Given the council's system, achieving complete personnel independence is realistically difficult. However, there are cases where the executive branch sends people to the council under the pretext of promotion when they are difficult to promote or are not favored. The council ends up being a kind of refuge, so there needs to be an institutional mechanism to filter out such situations," he said.

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