Jeonnam Gwangju Special City Launches First "Deputy Mayor Citizen Recommendation System"... 10 Candidates Finalized

Five Candidates Selected in Each Sector: Industry, Economy, and Citizen Sovereignty
Citizen Jury Review Scheduled for August 1

Three Finalists per Sector to Be Chosen via Online Citizen Vote
Final Appointment by the Mayor Expected in August

The "Deputy Mayor Citizen Recommendation System," introduced for the first time in Korea by the Jeonnam Gwangju Integrated Special City, has entered the citizen selection phase. After completing the candidate verification process, the special city has finalized a total of 10 candidates, five from each sector, and is set to select the final candidates through a citizen jury review and an online citizen vote.

On July 28, the Jeonnam Gwangju Integrated Special City announced that it had completed the review by the Candidate Verification Committee of the Deputy Mayor Citizen Recommendation System and had selected five candidates each for the industry and economy sector as well as the citizen sovereignty sector.

Promotion Material for the Vice Mayor Citizen Recommendation System of Jeonnam Gwangju Integrated Special City.

This review was conducted for 40 applicants who submitted their documents. Twenty-six candidates applied for the industry, jobs, economy, labor, and advanced flagship industries sector, while 14 candidates applied for the citizen sovereignty, youth population policy, talent development, health and welfare, and gender equality sector. An external committee of experts evaluated the candidates’ expertise and policy competency in a comprehensive manner.

The candidates in the industry, jobs, economy, labor, and advanced flagship industries sector are: Jinmyung Kim, invited professor at Seoul National University of Science and Technology; Myunghwan Na, dean of the College of AI Convergence at Chonnam National University; Seungjoo Baek, former deputy director general at the Asian Development Bank Institute; Byunghoon Lee, former National Assembly member; and Hyungsik Choi, former governor of Damyang-gun.

The candidates in the citizen sovereignty, youth population policy, talent development, health and welfare, and gender equality sector are: Hyang Park, former director for public health policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare; Hyunju Park, professor at Chosun University; Miran Oh, president of Gwangju Women's Family Foundation; Nansil Yoon, chair of innovation and autonomy at the Local Era Committee; and Eunji Chae, former vice chair of the Gwangju Metropolitan Council.

The selected candidates will participate in a citizen jury review held at the international conference hall of the Korea Institute of Energy Technology on August 1, where they will deliver policy statements and participate in a Q&A session. The review process will be broadcast live through the "JeonnamGwangju TV" YouTube channel.

On August 2, an online vote will be held for 1,013 citizens, selected by proportional representation. The special city plans to determine three final candidates per sector, based on the citizen jury evaluation and the online voting results.

Afterwards, the mayor will designate one candidate per sector and notify the city council. The final appointment of deputy mayors is expected by the end of August, following confirmation hearings and other subsequent procedures.

The Jeonnam Gwangju Integrated Special City considers this citizen recommendation system to be a meaningful new local governance model, since it enables citizens to participate directly in the personnel process. By involving citizens in candidate verification and evaluation, the initiative aims to institutionalize a citizen participation-based appointment system, moving away from the conventionally appointment-centric approach for senior officials.

A representative of the Jeonnam Gwangju Integrated Special City commented, "The Deputy Mayor Citizen Recommendation System goes beyond citizens simply offering opinions. It represents a new personnel model for citizen sovereignty government, where citizens directly verify and select candidates. We will establish a personnel system that earns public trust through fair and transparent procedures."

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