Naju City’s First Personnel Reshuffle Under Ninth Administration... Promotion of PR Chief Seonji Yeom Draws Attention

Three Promoted to Grade 4, Six Selected for Grade 5 Leadership Training

Performance- and Capability-Based Placement in Key Positions

Naju City, part of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City, conducted the first regular personnel reshuffle of the ninth popularly-elected administration, selecting Seonji Yeom, Head of the Citizens’ Engagement and Public Relations Office, as a candidate for the Grade 5 Promotion Leadership Training Program. According to Naju City, this personnel reshuffle was based on the principles of “work and results,” with a focus on organizational stability and strengthening administrative drive.

On July 3, Naju City announced that it had carried out its regular personnel reshuffle for the second half of 2026, effective July 6.

This reshuffle included a total of 83 promotions and transfers of department-level or higher officials, comprising three Grade 4 promotions, six candidates for the Grade 5 Promotion Leadership Training Program, ten Grade 6 promotions, twenty-seven Grade 7 promotions, and thirty-seven Grade 8 promotions.

Naju City implemented the regular personnel appointment for the second half of 2026 on July 6. The photo shows public officials who received their appointment letters attentively listening to Mayor Byungtae Yoon's speech. Photo by Naju City

This reshuffle, the first since the start of the ninth popularly-elected administration, was conducted based on Mayor Byeongtae Yoon's personnel policy focused on “work and results,” comprehensively reflecting work competency and organizational contribution.

The city explained that, while considering balance in age, experience, rank, and job series, it placed particular emphasis on performance-based personnel management to enhance organizational stability and the momentum of city administration.

The six selected as candidates for the Grade 5 Promotion Leadership Training Program were: Minjeong Choi (acting director of the Family and Child Division) and Yangseop Lim (acting director of the Planning and Budget Office) from the administrative track; Seonji Yeom (acting head of the Citizens’ Engagement and Public Relations Office) from the tax track; Byeongguk Kim (acting director of the Energy New Industry Division) from the engineering track; Suyeon Park (acting director of the Yeongsan River Renaissance Division) from the landscaping track; and Seongmi Shin (acting director of the Health Promotion Division) from the health track.

In particular, Seonji Yeom, acting head of the Citizens’ Engagement and Public Relations Office, was selected as a candidate for the Grade 5 Promotion Leadership Training Program in recognition of her outstanding achievements in city public relations. Yeom was credited for helping attract a record 520,000 visitors to the “2025 Naju Yeongsan River Festival,” and for raising Naju City’s external profile through numerous media interviews and publicity efforts.

The three promoted to Grade 4 were: Youngbaek Kim, former director of the Planning and Budget Office; Inja Kim, former head of the Health Administration Division; and Minshik Son, former director of the Welfare Policy Division.

Director Youngbaek Kim was promoted to senior officer in recognition of securing a record amount of national funding (worth KRW 540.3 billion) and budget execution performance; Director Inja Kim for achievements such as the selection of the city as an excellent institution in regional health care planning; and Director Minshik Son for establishing an integrated support system for medical, nursing, and care services, as well as addressing welfare blind spots.

In this reshuffle, the city minimized transfers of department heads to maintain administrative continuity, and assigned personnel to appropriate positions based on policy execution capabilities and organizational leadership. Promotions below Grade 6 were decided through a fair review process based on the promotion candidate list and contributions to city administration, regardless of gender or job series.

Mayor Byeongtae Yoon of Naju City stated, “As this is the first regular personnel reshuffle signaling the full-fledged start of the ninth popularly-elected administration, we focused on providing fair promotion opportunities based on performance and capability. We will continue to establish a fair and trustworthy personnel management culture, consolidate organizational capabilities, and deliver tangible results that citizens can feel.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.