"Grade 4 Directors to Grade 5 Township Chiefs?"... Wando County Public Officials Stirred by 'Opaque' Restructuring

Abolition of Three Offices and Downsizing of Main Office: One-Way Restructuring Without Communication
Concerns Over "Punitive Demotion" and Vacant Grade 4 Control Tower Amid Backlash

As newly appointed Wando County Governor Kim Shin pushes forward with a large-scale organizational restructuring immediately after taking office, expectations for renewal are clashing with concerns about administrative vacancies.

The county has cited overcoming the fiscal crisis and promoting field-oriented administration as the main reasons, but the process has triggered internal turmoil due to a perceived lack of communication and controversies over the placement of senior officials.

A panoramic view of Wando County Office

Abolition of Three Offices and Field-Oriented Personnel Reallocation

On July 3, Wando County announced a legislative notice for the "Ordinance Amendment on the Establishment of Administrative Agencies," which includes the abolition of three departments: the Planning and Budget Office, the Population and Job Policy Office, and the Tourism Office.

Then, on July 10, the county released an additional staffing adjustment plan, outlining a reduction in the main office personnel while strengthening the workforce at the township and town (eup·myeon) level.

According to the adjustment plan, the main office staff will be reduced by 18 people from 400 to 382. In contrast, the number of staff at the township and town (eup·myeon) offices, which are at the forefront of public service, will increase by 15, from 228 to 243. The number of staff at affiliated agencies will also increase by three, from 117 to 120.

At his inauguration ceremony on July 2, Governor Kim stated, "The county's finances are in a critical situation due to the depletion of a 20 billion won fund for the solid waste treatment plant and the need for a new project budget of around 70 billion won." This restructuring is seen as a response to the worsening fiscal situation inherited from the previous administration, with the aim of improving administrative efficiency and reinforcing frontline public services.

Speculation Over Grade 4 Directors and Concerns About Main Office Control Tower Vacancies

The most controversial issue is the future assignment of the grade 4 directors who led the three abolished departments. There is widespread speculation within the county administration that they will be reassigned to township chief positions in Wando-eup, Nowha-eup, and Geumil-eup, which have traditionally been grade 5 posts.

This has sparked strong resistance internally. One public servant strongly criticized, "Reassigning grade 4 directors to grade 5 township chief positions is an obvious case of punitive demotion."

Under the current Local Public Officials Act, such a transfer that involves a downgrade in rank constitutes demotion or disciplinary action, which requires clear rationale and review by a disciplinary committee. Nevertheless, there are criticisms that the responsibility for previous policies is being unfairly shifted only to working-level staff.

Additionally, if all three offices are abolished and merged into divisions (gwa), there will be no grade 4 management positions left in the main office.

There are also concerns that the absence of grade 4 directors, who are responsible for coordinating between departments and distributing budgets in basic local government administration, could weaken the main office's role as the control tower of the administrative system. Regarding this, a Wando County official stated, "No specific decisions have been made regarding personnel matters yet," drawing a clear line.

Restructuring Without Prior Briefings: "Need for Stronger Feedback Collection"

Complaints about the lack of communication are also surfacing. Members of the county administration have pointed out, "When the legislative notice was first issued on July 3, there was not even a preliminary feedback session or the most basic briefing for staff," arguing that it was a one-sided, top-down announcement.

The fact that key details of the restructuring plan were revised several times in a short period has also been criticized. For example, the county initially planned to establish a Department of Abalone Fisheries Industry, but after backlash from other aquaculture operators, the department name was changed to the Department of Fisheries Food Industry within just four days.

This highlights the serious lack of prior communication not only with internal staff but also with the local community on major restructuring plans.

Amid these controversies, the Wando County Council, which is set to review the ordinance, has taken a practical stance that preventing immediate administrative paralysis is the top priority. The council has noted that it is difficult for them to intervene directly in personnel matters, which are the exclusive authority of the county governor.

A council official explained, "There was debate among council members, but there are no effective legal means for the council to address controversies such as the demotion of grade 4 officials. With county administration virtually at a standstill due to personnel delays linked to the restructuring, it is urgent to pass the restructuring plan so the administrative system can return to normal."

A local political figure commented, "While I understand the new governor's strong will for reform and financial recovery, procedural transparency and organizational stability are also very important. To prevent a decline in administrative services, it is now necessary to ensure more active communication with county residents and public officials during the ongoing restructuring process."

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