As soon as the election ended, talk began circulating about who would come in as chief of staff and which Director General might be promoted. Nothing has been decided officially yet, but civil servants have no choice but to read the mood.Civil servant A, who works at a local government.
With the local power map upended by the June 3 local elections, local government civil service circles are in turmoil. In eight of the 16 metropolitan areas, the ruling party of the heads of local governments changed, and the basic-level head elections showed a trend completely opposite to four years ago. With the incumbent heads and the transition committees of the winners entering an uneasy cohabitation for a month until the new leaders take office, speculation is already rampant over appointments for chief of staff, political affairs staff, and heads of affiliated agencies. By contrast, regions where incumbents kept their posts are expected to accelerate existing policies.
◇ Eight metropolitan areas shift from People Power Party to Democratic Party of Korea… Local governments on edge ahead of transition committees
According to the National Election Commission on the 6th, eight regions elected candidates from parties different from the incumbent metropolitan leaders in this local election: Gangwon, Daejeon, Busan, Sejong, South Chungcheong, North Chungcheong, Ulsan, and Incheon. All are places where candidates from the Democratic Party of Korea won in regions previously led by heads from the People Power Party.
The shift was also large in basic-level head races. Of 227 jurisdictions nationwide, the Democratic Party of Korea won 119 and the People Power Party won 95. Compared with four years ago in the eighth popular-term elections, when the People Power Party took 145 of 226 and the Democratic Party of Korea 63, the landscape flipped sharply. Not only at the metropolitan level but also at the city, county, and district levels, a large-scale turnover took place.
Winners can form transition committees before taking office. The committees review the local government's organization and budget, key pending issues, and plans to implement campaign pledges. The official activity period runs up to 20 days after inauguration. During this time, the outgoing leader's remaining term overlaps with the winners' transition work.
In local governments where the leader is changing, subtle tensions are inevitable over budget, organizational reshuffles, and submission of materials for major projects. The winners' side needs to scrutinize the outgoing leader's priority projects and budget execution even before taking office. The incumbents' side must respond to the transition teams' requests for data and briefings on pending issues while time remains in the term.
Civil service organizations also face a tricky situation. Until the end of this month, they must follow the incumbent leader's direction, but they also have to prepare for the soon-to-launch new administration. In regions where the ruling party changed, priorities on key issues such as development projects, transportation policy, industrial promotion strategies, and welfare and fiscal management could be adjusted.
An official from a local government where the leader is changing said, "The incumbent's term runs until the end of this month, but going forward we have to assist the new leader," adding, "There is deep concern over how the administrative organization should strike a balance between the two leaders."
◇ Civil service alert over talk of key posts going to campaign insiders
The most sensitive issue in regions with a leadership change is personnel. From right after the election, there has been talk that people from the winners' campaign teams will move into roles such as chief of staff, political affairs staff, and heads of affiliated agencies. There is also speculation that civil servants or outsiders with past ties to the winners will be given important posts.
In the civil service, speculation continues over promotions to Director General level and above and moves into major posts. When a new leader takes office, core department heads may be replaced alongside an organizational reshuffle. Attention is on whether executives who handled projects pushed under the previous leader can keep their seats, and whether departments aligned with the new leader's pledges will gain clout.
Another local government official said, "When policy direction changes, personnel inevitably moves with it," adding, "In regions where the ruling party changed, the entire organization will inevitably be tense for the time being."
◇ Seoul, South Gyeongsang, and North Gyeongsang to maintain policy continuity… Daegu to fill leadership vacuum from acting mayor period
Regions where the leader did not change secured momentum to continue existing policies. Seoul is a prime example. With Oh Se-hoon winning an unprecedented fifth term as Seoul mayor, major projects pursued so far—such as the Han River Bus, Garden of Gratitude, and repair work related to GTX-A—are more likely to move toward supplementation and advancement rather than suspension.
During the campaign, Chong Won-o, the Democratic Party of Korea's Seoul mayoral candidate, strongly criticized Oh's core projects. On the Han River Bus, he said that if safety issues were confirmed, it should be halted even at the expense of sunk costs, and on the Garden of Gratitude, he said he would consider relocating the sculptures to the War Memorial of Korea. He also called for identifying responsibility and temporarily halting the GTX-A repair work after the rebar omission scandal surfaced.
But with Oh winning again, these projects are expected to continue with an emphasis on bolstering safety, determining responsibility, and adjusting timelines rather than a full reexamination. Seoul City can now accelerate existing projects under the banner of policy continuity.
South Gyeongsang and North Gyeongsang also secured continuity in major policies as the incumbents stayed. South Gyeongsang is expected to speed up advancement of its industrial structure, including nurturing the space and aerospace industry centered on the Korea AeroSpace Administration and small modular reactors (SMRs). North Gyeongsang is likely to push as a key task the groundbreaking for the new airport and building related infrastructure.
Daegu, with the end of a prolonged acting mayor system, is expected to move quickly to address backlogged issues under the new mayor. After former Mayor Hong Joon-pyo resigned midterm on April 11 last year to run for president, Daegu was run under an acting system for about 14 months. After taking office, Choo Kyung-ho is expected to prioritize major issues such as the new airport groundbreaking and administrative integration of Daegu and North Gyeongsang.