Candidates for the first vice mayor of Jeollanam-do and Gwangju Unified Special City for political office will appear at the city council personnel hearing starting on the 5th of next month.
In addition to the controversy over the difference between the duties presented at the time of the contest and the actual duties of the vice mayor, a strong atmosphere of opposition has formed within the National Assembly surrounding the placement of vice mayors and regional functions, so intensive verification is expected.
According to the Jeonnam Gwangju Unified Special City Council on the 27th, the city council will form a special personnel hearing committee to review candidates Baek Seung-joo, deputy mayor for balanced development, and candidate Nan-sil Yoon, deputy mayor for civic sovereignty, and will begin hearings starting on October 5.
Candidate Baek will be heard on the 5th and Candidate Yoon on the 6th, and if the verification is insufficient, additional questions will be asked to both candidates in the afternoon after the plenary session on the morning of the 7th.
Although the 5th is a substitute holiday for National Foundation Day, the process must be completed within 20 days from the date of the personnel hearing request received on the 22nd, and since the Chuseok holiday is also included, a hearing on a holiday is inevitable.
As for the hearing special committee, 15 steering committee members are divided into two special committees, and the rest are appointed from among the general standing committee members, taking into account region, gender, and candidate duties.
It is highly likely that the hearing will expand to verify not only the individual qualifications of the candidates, but also the citizen-recommended vice mayor selection process itself.
At the time of the citizen nomination contest, the fields of industry, jobs, economy, labor, and high-tech industries were presented to Candidate Baek, and the fields of citizen sovereignty, youth population, talent development, health and welfare, and gender equality were presented to Candidate Yoon.
However, according to the ordinance at the time, the contents of the contest did not match the duties of local vice mayors, such as culture, industry, economy, agriculture and forestry, and some of the duties included the jurisdiction of other vice mayors, so the personnel hearing process was halted due to a problem raised by the council.
Afterwards, the integrated city reorganized the vice mayor position, but the roles and placement of candidates also changed again.
Candidate Baek changed from a citizen-recommended candidate in the industry and economy to a candidate for the Vice Mayor for Balanced Development, and the Deputy Mayor for Industry and Economy, who was initially subject to citizen recommendation for local positions, was converted to a national position and will oversee industry and economic affairs at the Eastern Government Complex.
Accordingly, the appropriateness of the procedure for re-nomination of the same candidate without re-opening for a different position than at the time of public offering and the expertise to perform the changed duties are expected to become major issues.
The opposition to reorganization within the National Assembly is also a factor that increases the intensity of hearings.
On the 18th, the reorganization plan passed with one majority vote, with 46 in favor, 35 against, and 8 abstentions among the 89 members present.
If lawmakers who were critical of the reorganization at the time are included in the special hearing committee, there is a possibility that strong verification will be conducted on changes to the deputy mayor's job and distribution of functions by region.
Sharp questions are also expected as the issue of balance in the western region, raised in the process of the transition of the Deputy Mayor for Industry and Economy to a national position and the placement of the eastern government office, and regional conflict issues such as the National Medical University are combined.
Controversy surrounding the effectiveness of the citizen recommendation system, including the fact that both candidates are members of Mayor Min Hyeong-bae's transition committee, is likely to arise again.
However, since the two local vice mayors are not in positions that require the approval of the National Assembly for appointment, the mayor makes the final decision on whether or not to appoint them, even if the hearing progress report contains ineligible opinions.
City Council Steering Committee Chairman Shin Min-ho said, “The personnel hearing schedule includes many holidays, so members must give up their holidays and focus on the personnel hearing,” and added, “We will prepare to ensure a fair and balanced personnel hearing.”
