Wi Seong-gon, the Jeju governor, named Lee Chang-heum, former presidential office secretary for climate and environment, as the first deputy governor for climate economy of the ninth popularly elected administration. Lee, the nominee for deputy governor and a native of Seogwipo, passed the 40th higher civil service exam and held key posts at the Environment Ministry. With this, governors and mayors from the Democratic Party of Korea in the ninth term have largely wrapped up the process of appointing economic vice mayors (deputy governors), except for South Jeolla and Gwangju, which have announced citizen voting for the selection.
By contrast, Seoul, Daegu and South Gyeongsang, led by governors and mayors from the People Power Party, are seeing delays in personnel appointments. In local political circles, there is concern that, with review of next year's budget bill in full swing, the absence of an economic vice mayor could hinder securing funds for local pending issues.
◇ Governors and mayors from the Democratic Party, selection of the "treasury keeper" virtually complete
Compiling the personnel outcomes of metropolitan governments on the 2nd, Gangwon Province and Sejong City were the first to appoint the deputy governor and economic vice mayor right after the launch of the ninth term on the 1st of last month. Gangwon Province appointed Shin Won-chul, former Seoul City Council chairman, and Sejong City appointed Park Seong-su, former Sejong City council member and former aide to the late former Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan.
Economic vice mayors (deputy governors) serve as "treasury keepers," visiting central ministries and the National Assembly to explain the validity of local pending projects and secure state funds. While the exact job titles vary by metropolitan government, the roles are similar. Given that the position oversees coordination with central ministries, senior officials from economic or industry ministries who are natives of the region are often appointed.
In particular, those from the Ministry of Planning and Budget or the former Ministry of Finance and Economy (now the Ministry of Economy and Finance), who have a strong grasp of the budget formulation process and can leverage personal networks, are preferred.
Go Jeong-sam, the North Jeolla deputy governor for economy and a native of Gochang, served as director of the fund management planning division at the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MOEF). Shin Min-sik, appointed Ulsan economic vice mayor on July 15, also served as director of the industrial budget division at MOEF.
Recently, cases of appointing businesspeople with political affairs experience have been increasing. Oh Seok-geun, Busan's vice mayor for future innovation, served as a presidential office administrator, a POSCO executive vice president, and a Hanwha Aerospace adviser. Joo Hyung-chul, Gyeonggi Province's deputy governor for economy, served as the presidential office's senior secretary for economic affairs and as CEO of SK Communications and Korea Venture Investment Corporation.
Incheon and South Chungcheong, which do not have a deputy governor for economy, appointed local politicians as "global city political affairs vice mayor" (Incheon) and political affairs vice mayor (South Chungcheong). Incheon appointed Vice Mayor Nam Young-hee, a former National Assembly member, and South Chungcheong appointed Deputy Governor Gu Bon-young, former Cheonan mayor. Daejeon appointed Ji Young-han, former head of Daejeon CBS who has long worked in the region, as vice mayor for political affairs, economy and science.
Gwangju Integrated Metropolitan City still has a vacancy for economic vice mayor. With the city's upgrade to a special city, the vice mayor post will be elevated to Vice Minister level, and the plan is to select the vice mayor through citizen recommendations.
Four candidates have been shortlisted for the vice mayor who will oversee economic-related fields: Kim Jin-myung, visiting professor at Seoul National University of Science and Technology; Na Myung-hwan, dean of the AI Convergence College at Chonnam National University; Baek Seung-joo, former deputy director at the Asian Development Bank Institute; and Choi Hyung-sik, former Damyang County governor. Lee Byung-hoon, a former National Assembly member who had been included as a candidate, withdrew for family reasons.
◇ Vacant for up to half a year… People Power Party governors and mayors fail to find the right person
By contrast, three jurisdictions—Seoul, Daegu and South Gyeongsang—have yet to finalize appointments of economic vice mayors or deputy governors. All are regions led by chiefs from the People Power Party.
Seoul City appointed former Administrative Vice Mayor 1 Kim Tae-gyun as head of Seoul Metro in March, leaving the Administrative Vice Mayor 1 post vacant. Seoul has three vice mayor positions: Administrative 1, Administrative 2 and Political Affairs. Among them, Administrative Vice Mayor 1 performs the role of economic vice mayor in other local governments.
In Daegu's case, after Economic Vice Mayor Hong Seong-ju ran for Dalseo District mayor in February, the post has remained vacant for nearly half a year. As Daegu Mayor Choo Kyung-ho previously served as deputy prime minister for the economy and Minister of the Ministry of Economy and Finance and as the ruling party's floor leader, communication with government ministries and the National Assembly is expected to be smooth. But since it is impossible to handle all schedules personally, there are calls to expedite the selection of a No. 2.
South Gyeongsang Province also has not found a successor after former Economic Deputy Governor Kim Myeong-ju stepped down on the 29th of last month.
Only North Gyeongsang Province has retained its appointee from the eighth term, Economic Deputy Governor Yang Geum-hee (former National Assembly member). However, it is reported that Governor Lee Cheol-woo is considering replacing the economic deputy governor as part of a ninth-term administration revamp.
Some say the delays in appointing vice mayors (deputy governors) under governors and mayors from the People Power Party reflect the opposition's reality. When a central ministry official moves to a local government as a vice mayor (deputy governor), they must resign from their current ministry. While this may not matter for officials nearing retirement, younger Director-General-level senior officials with remaining years must also consider returning to headquarters. This makes it hard to find someone willing to readily raise their hand to join a local government led by an opposition party chief.
An official at a central ministry said, "As the presidential office's vetting of senior ministry officials has become meticulous, managing one's record has become very important," adding, "Unless a senior official is considering entering politics, such as running in local elections, it will not be easy to choose to go as a vice mayor to a local government led by an opposition-party chief."