Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has carried out a major reshuffle of Grade 1 and Grade 2 senior officials to lead city administration in the ninth elected term.
Lee Dong-ryul, acting head of the Planning and Coordination Office; Jeong Jin-woo, head of the Welfare Office; and Ma Chae-suk, head of the Women and Family Office were promoted to Grade 1 — the rank of local administrative officer — effective Saturday. At the same time, eight officials including Song Gwang-nam, chief of the mayor's secretariat, were elevated to Grade 2, the rank of local senior administrative officer.
The six administrative-track officials promoted to Grade 2 are Song Gwang-nam, chief of the mayor's secretariat; Kim Myeong-ju, global city policy officer; Yun Jae-sam, head of the Climate and Environment Bureau; Park Gyeong-hwan, head of the Livelihood and Labor Bureau; Jeong Yeong-jun, head of the Digital City Bureau; and Gang Seok, head of the Balanced Development Bureau.
All six were born in the 1970s, and the promotion of such a relatively young cohort of senior officials has drawn attention.
On the technical track, Kim Chang-gyu, head of the Urban Space Bureau, and Jeong Seong-guk, head of the Water Cycle Policy Bureau, were also promoted to Grade 2. Both entered city service through the Grade 7 open competitive exam — Kim in the architecture track and Jeong in the civil engineering track — a detail that has drawn particular notice.
Lee Dong-ryul had been performing the duties of planning and coordination office chief at Grade 2 and was elevated to Grade 1 through this reshuffle.
Jeong Jin-woo moved from head of the Lifelong Education Bureau to head of the Welfare Office in July and was promoted to Grade 1 just over a month later.
Ma Chae-suk had been serving as head of the Women and Family Office at Grade 2 since January and was promoted to Grade 1 in this round. The promotion gives her and her husband, former Seoul Economic Affairs Office chief Lee Su-yeon, the distinction of being a "Grade 1 couple."
Notably, Jeong Sang-hun, acting first deputy mayor for administration; Lee Dong-ryul; and Ma Chae-suk are all members of the third cohort of the local civil service exam. With all three now holding Grade 1 titles, observers say the third cohort's rise has been particularly striking.
The reshuffle is aimed at strengthening the core leadership responsible for key areas of city administration since the launch of the ninth elected term and injecting fresh energy into the organization by prioritizing performance and competence.
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
