Lawmaker says Jeonnam-Gwangju mayor has more senior aides than Cheong Wa Dae
In short
At a National Assembly audit on 22 October, People Power Party lawmaker Park Deok-heum said the Jeonnam-Gwangju Unified Special City has 13 senior-level aide posts against 11 at Cheong Wa Dae. Mayor Min Hyung-bae said the 'senior' title is a label for policy aides and that the law allows such staff up to 3% of total headcount.
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A member of the People Power Party said at a National Assembly audit on 22 October that the Jeonnam-Gwangju Unified Special City has built a mayoral staff organisation larger than that of the presidential office. Park Deok-heum, who represents Boeun, Okcheon, Yeongdong and Goesan in North Chungcheong, spoke at the Public Administration and Security Committee's audit held at the city's Gwangju office. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
"Cheong Wa Dae has 11 senior-level posts, while Jeonnam-Gwangju has as many as 13," Park said, adding that the organisation looks presidential-level rather than mayoral. He said there are eight 'senior' posts alone, together with special advisers, aides, non-career secretarial staff and four vice mayors of vice-minister rank. He also said the city plans up to 26 policy advisers, policy counsellors and special aides. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Park said the city revised its enforcement rules three times in about 100 days after launch to expand the aide posts. He said the number of heads of local government fell from two to one through the administrative merger while the aide headcount rose. By his account, the non-career quota rose from 19 in the former Gwangju and Jeonnam to 29, above Seoul's 28. He asked for disclosure of the added personnel costs and pay by post. [ 1 , 2 ]
According to Kukmin Ilbo, Park also said the posts were created by an enforcement rule rather than an ordinance, which the mayor can set himself, and asked whether city council consent had been needed. [ 3 ]
Mayor Min Hyung-bae replied that the unified mayor has many matters to decide alone while aides were relatively few, and that the posts carry the title 'senior' but are in practice policy aides. He said the law allows such staff up to 3% of the total quota, and that the quota is 29 but 20 posts are filled. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Min also said experts were picked through open recruitment and called untrue the claim that every applicant was the only one for a post. He said the merger had been expected to cut overlapping functions by 15 to 20%, but differences between the Gwangju and Jeonnam administrative systems and a principle of guaranteeing former workplaces limited staff reassignment. [ 1 , 2 ]
Kukmin Ilbo described the session as the first audit since the special city's launch. It also reported that Seo Myeong-ok, another People Power Party lawmaker, said 394,000 Yeosu World Island Expo tickets were sold but only 94,000 paid visitors came. Seo said six buyers, including one public institution that bought 48,000 tickets worth 500 million won, bought tickets worth 1.1 billion won. Min asked lawmakers to also support what went well. Other points raised included the Honam semiconductor cluster, the special act on administrative merger and the Saebitcall transport service for disabled people. [ 3 ]
Why it matters
The exchange shows a dispute at a National Assembly audit over the size of the mayor's staff, with Park demanding pay data and Min defending the posts. Kukmin Ilbo said lawmakers also raised Yeosu expo ticket sales and other matters at the same audit.
Key facts
- Park Deok-heum of the People Power Party said Cheong Wa Dae has 11 senior-level posts while Jeonnam-Gwangju has 13. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Park said the city has eight 'senior' posts and four vice mayors of vice-minister rank, and plans to keep up to 26 policy advisers, policy counsellors and special aides. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Park said the staff quota for non-career posts rose from 19 in the former Gwangju and Jeonnam to 29 after the merger, above Seoul's 28. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Mayor Min Hyung-bae said the quota is 29 but 20 posts are filled. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Min said the law allows such staff up to 3% of total headcount. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The audit was held by the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee at the Gwangju city office on 22 October. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Park said at the 22 October audit that the city has 13 senior-level posts against 11 at Cheong Wa Dae and that the mayor's staff organisation looks 'presidential-level'. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Min responded that the mayor has many decisions to make alone, that staff were relatively few, and that the 'senior' title in fact covers policy aides. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Min said the law allows such staff up to 3% of the total quota. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Min said the non-career quota is 29 and 20 posts are currently filled. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Min said experts were selected through open recruitment. [ 1 , 2 ]
Still unclear
- Whether applicants for some posts were a single candidate each. Yonhap reports Park saying some posts drew only one applicant; Min called the claim that all applicants were single untrue. Neither statement is verified in the documents.
- Whether the posts needed city council consent. Only one outlet reports Park saying the posts were created by an enforcement rule rather than an ordinance and asking whether council consent was needed; no reply from Min on this point is reported.
- The extra personnel cost and pay by post. Park demanded these be disclosed; the documents give no figures.