The CEN News / The CEN News — Reporter Lee Ju-sang | Seo Young-hak, the Democratic Party of Korea's candidate for Yeosu mayor, unveiled plans to reshape civil service personnel management around greater stability and accountability.
He aims to reduce administrative gaps and delays in processing residents' complaints caused by frequent personnel transfers and to improve services that residents will actually notice.
On the 1st, Seo said, "I will ensure residents' complaints don't languish in a drawer because of staff reshuffles," adding, "We'll make necessary appointments when and where they're needed, but we'll sharply reduce unnecessary transfers."
He singled out excessive transfers as a problem in the current personnel system, saying they undermine administrative continuity and repeatedly delay complaint handling.
He stressed that departments requiring specialized skills and those responsible for long-term complaint management, as well as agencies closely tied to daily life, need stable staffing. He plans to keep staff in place for set periods to deepen institutional knowledge and to foster a public service culture that takes responsibility for complaints through to resolution.
He said he will respect statutory limits on transfers as fully as possible while transitioning to a more effective personnel management system.
Seo clarified the guiding principle of his personnel policy: "This does not mean we will abuse ad hoc reassignments. It means we will respond quickly and accurately when staffing needs arise, ensuring no work is left unfinished."
He added that staffing decisions will be designed to strengthen expertise rather than merely reduce transfers, offering civil servants a predictable personnel system and providing residents with uninterrupted administrative services.
Seo pledged to exclude political interference from personnel decisions. He emphasized he will establish a performance- and accountability-based approach that will not be swayed by personal connections or patronage, and he said he will institute preferential treatment or incentives for employees serving in demanding or undesirable positions.
He also vowed to address the reality that civil servants who quietly work in safety-related departments often go unrecognized. "We must correct a system that penalizes employees who take on difficult duties," he said.
On open recruitment, he said he will prioritize the existing civil service's experience and capabilities, while gradually expanding external hiring in areas that require private-sector expertise, following internal consultation and job analysis.
"This personnel policy is not intended to shake up the civil service but to reform it for stable administration," Seo said. "We will raise expertise and accountability to deliver changes that residents can feel."
(The CEN News / Honam Reporting Bureau) Reporter Lee Ju-sang eaglefood@naver.com
