Gijang mayor drops plan to move office to first floor after 83% of staff object
In short
Busan's Gijang County mayor Woo Sung-bin said he will not move the county mayor's office from the second floor to the first floor, after a survey of staff found 83% opposed. Of 509 employees who took part, 422 objected and 86 supported the move. The office was a campaign pledge by Woo, who said he would decide according to the majority view of civil servants.
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The mayor of Gijang County in Busan, Woo Sung-bin, said he will not move the county mayor's office from the second floor to the first floor, after a survey of county employees found majority opposition. Woo announced the decision at the county's October monthly work report meeting on 6 October, according to Yonhap and Newsis. [ 1 , 2 ]
The survey, run on the county's internal network at Woo's instruction, drew 509 participants. Of them, 86 (17%) supported the move and 422 (83%) opposed it, both outlets reported. Asked why they objected, with multiple answers allowed, 257 employees cited insufficient gains in communication and accessibility, 242 cited the cost of relocating and 180 cited lower staff work efficiency, according to Yonhap. [ 1 , 2 ]
Woo had pledged during the local election to move the office down to the first floor, where the civil complaints desk is, as a way of practising open government, and had been pushing the change to fit next year's organisational reshuffle, Yonhap reported. The plan drew objections from some employees, who posted their views on the union's bulletin board; Woo then ordered the survey during a work report that was live-streamed on YouTube, saying he would decide the matter according to the will of the majority of civil servants. [ 1 ]
The union objected to that episode, saying in a statement that Woo had referred to its bulletin board during the live-streamed report, which it called “targeting”, and that supporters' posts criticising civil servants followed on the board. Newsis does not mention the union or the accusation. Woo said at the meeting that the survey was not a way of avoiding anything, but was held because moving the office would require departments to move in sequence and staff grievances should not be treated lightly; he said the objections contained valid points, and that he decided the office would keep operating on the second floor. Newsis quoted him saying he had come to understand the reasons and that the second floor has a much better working environment. [ 1 , 2 ]
Why it matters
The decision leaves a sitting mayor's signature open-government pledge unfulfilled and reopens friction between the county administration and its union, which accused Woo of singling out critics. It also shows internal staff surveys being used to settle a pledge that would have reshuffled several departments. The effects are confined to one district office in Busan.
Key facts
- Gijang County surveyed 509 employees on moving the county mayor's office to the first floor; 86 (17%) supported it and 422 (83%) opposed it. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Mayor Woo Sung-bin said the office will stay on the second floor instead. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Opposition reasons, with multiple answers allowed, were insufficient gains in communication and accessibility (257), relocation costs (242) and lower staff work efficiency (180). [ 1 ]
- The survey was conducted on the county's internal network at Woo's instruction. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Woo had pledged during the local election to move the office to the first floor to practise open government, and had been pushing the move to match next year's organisational reshuffle. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Woo said at the October monthly work report that he would accept the staff's view and that the second floor offers a better working environment. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The county union said Woo referred to its bulletin board during a live-streamed work report, which it called “targeting”, and that critical posts about civil servants followed. [ 1 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- A survey of 509 Gijang County employees found 422 opposed and 86 in favour of moving the county mayor's office to the first floor. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Mayor Woo Sung-bin said the office will remain on the second floor. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The survey was run on the county's internal network at the mayor's instruction. [ 1 , 2 ]
Still unclear
- The union's claim that Woo “targeted” it by mentioning its bulletin board during a live-streamed work report. Single-source claim carried only by Yonhap (document 1); Newsis does not mention the union or the accusation, and no response from Woo to the claim is reported.
- The cost of relocating the office. Relocation costs are listed as a survey answer in document 1, but no figure is given by either outlet.
- What happens to the departmental relocations that would have followed the office move. Document 1 says departments would have moved in sequence, but neither document says whether those plans are dropped or delayed.