🚨 Local Elections

Today Korean Social News for Beginners | 2025.10.27

0️⃣ Term Alignment Rules and Agency Head Replacement Debate

📌 First Local Election After Term Alignment Rule... Busan City Agency Heads Face 'Matched Term' Fate

💬 Busan Metropolitan City is facing its first local election since establishing the "Ordinance on Heads and Officers of Invested and Contributed Agencies" in 2023. This rule says that when a new mayor is elected, agency heads' terms end too, regardless of how much time they have left. Of the 17 city agencies, 14 will follow this rule, and some are already looking for new heads. However, BEXCO and Asiad Country Club might be excluded because they are independent stock companies under commercial law. While the goal is to help the new mayor implement policies consistently, there are concerns that frequent leadership changes could hurt administrative continuity and management stability. Busan City plans to revise the ordinance before next year's election to make the rules clearer.

💡 Summary

• Local elections are held every 4 years for residents to vote for local government leaders and council members.
• Busan's term alignment rule means 14 agency heads will lose their positions when a new mayor is elected.
• Finding the right balance between policy consistency and administrative continuity is the key challenge.

1️⃣ Definition

Local elections are elections where residents directly vote to choose leaders of local governments (city mayors, governors, district chiefs) and local council members. Unlike national elections for parliament members or president, these elections let local residents choose who will lead their community. This is a key part of democracy.

In South Korea, local self-government was restored in 1995. Since then, nationwide local elections have been held every 4 years. Through these elections, residents can decide their region's development direction and evaluate how their local government is performing.

💡 Why is this important?

• Residents directly choose their local leaders, making grassroots democracy real.
• Communities can make policies and development plans that fit their specific needs.
• It gives residents a way to evaluate and check local government power and responsibility.
• It helps balanced regional development instead of everything being controlled from the center.

2️⃣ Local Election System and Busan's New Rule

📕 Basic Structure of Local Elections

• Elections choose local government heads and council members. Main positions include:

  • Provincial governors lead metropolitan areas (like Seoul, Busan, Gyeonggi Province).
  • City mayors, county chiefs, and district chiefs manage basic local governments.
  • Provincial and basic council members represent residents, make local laws, and review budgets.
  • Education superintendents are also elected to manage regional education policies.
  • All elected positions have 4-year terms and can be re-elected.

• Elections are held nationwide on the same day. Key features:

  • Since 1995, elections happen every 4 years in June across the country.
  • The most recent election was June 1, 2022. The next one is scheduled for June 2026.
  • One election day covers all positions: provincial heads, city/county/district heads, provincial council members, basic council members, and education superintendents.
  • Any Korean citizen age 18 or older can vote.
  • Special elections fill positions when leaders resign or leave office, preventing administrative gaps.

📕 Busan's Term Alignment Rule

• Agency heads' terms end when the mayor changes. Main points:

  • The "Ordinance on Heads and Officers of Invested and Contributed Agencies" was created in 2023.
  • When a new Busan mayor is elected, agency heads' terms automatically end, no matter how much time they have left.
  • This lets the new mayor appoint agency heads who support his or her policy direction.
  • Whether the agency head's original term was 3 years or 2 years doesn't matter - it ends with the mayor's term.
  • The 2026 local election will be the first time this rule is applied.

• Some agencies are included, others might be excluded. Details:

  • Of Busan City's 17 invested and contributed agencies, 14 will follow this rule.
  • These include Busan Tourism Organization, Busan Urban Corporation, Busan Economic Promotion Agency, and Busan Cultural Foundation.
  • BEXCO and Asiad Country Club are independent stock companies under commercial law.
  • These two agencies might be excluded from the rule.
  • Busan City plans to revise the ordinance to make the rules clearer.

📕 Background and Purpose of Term Alignment

• The goal is better policy consistency. Main purposes:

  • When a new mayor is elected, they can reorganize agencies to match their policy direction.
  • It reduces confusion from policy disagreements between the mayor and agency heads.
  • It helps the mayor effectively carry out campaign promises.
  • It makes responsibility clear and improves city government efficiency.

• Similar cases exist in other local governments. Current situation:

  • Seoul City has also considered linking agency heads' terms to the mayor's term.
  • Some provincial governments use political or contract positions for flexible personnel management.
  • However, few have explicitly written this into law like Busan.
  • Busan's case might influence other local governments in the future.

💡 Key Issues with Term Alignment

1. Administrative continuity: Frequent leadership changes can hurt project sustainability and expertise
2. Political neutrality: Agencies might be too influenced by the mayor's political views
3. Management stability: Frequent changes can create chaos and instability within organizations
4. Legal interpretation: Legal debate about whether the rule applies to stock companies under commercial law
5. Personnel confusion: Many agency heads changing at once around election time could create administrative gaps

3️⃣ Expected Benefits and Concerns

✅ Stronger Policy Consistency and Accountability

• The mayor can better implement campaign promises. Main benefits:

  • New mayors can appoint agency heads who support their policies, improving implementation power.
  • When the mayor and agencies have the same policy direction, city government runs more efficiently.
  • The mayor gets enough personnel authority to carry out election promises.
  • Clear responsibility makes it easier for citizens to evaluate city government.

• Personnel transparency can improve. Main benefits:

  • Clear timing for appointing agency heads makes the personnel process more predictable.
  • Reduces controversy over political appointments and enables fair selection through open recruitment.
  • During mayor elections, residents can vote considering future agency head appointments too.
  • Clear terms can increase agency heads' sense of responsibility and performance awareness.

✅ Concerns About Administrative Continuity and Expertise

• Project sustainability could suffer. Main concerns:

  • Frequent leadership changes might stop or change ongoing long-term projects.
  • New agency heads need time to learn the organization and work, creating administrative gaps.
  • Shorter average tenure makes long-term management difficult.
  • Organization members' morale and sense of stability could decline.

• Political neutrality might be damaged. Main problems:

  • Agencies could be too influenced by the mayor's political views.
  • Political views might become more important than expertise in selecting agency heads.
  • Every time the mayor changes, agency policies might change drastically, creating confusion.
  • Weakened independence and autonomy could reduce competitiveness long-term.

✅ System Improvement Tasks

• The rule's scope needs clarification. Main tasks:

  • Legally clarify whether the rule applies to agencies that are stock companies under commercial law.
  • Consider applying the rule differently based on agency characteristics.
  • Consider making exceptions for agencies where expertise is especially important.
  • Through ordinance revision, specifically define which agencies are covered and what procedures to follow.

• Need measures to minimize administrative gaps. Main approaches:

  • Start recruitment procedures before elections to enable quick appointments.
  • Have outgoing agency heads extend their duties temporarily or appoint acting heads.
  • Important projects need institutional support to continue regardless of leadership changes.
  • Systematize handover procedures for new agency heads to ensure work continuity.

4️⃣ Related Terms

🔎 Local Self-Government

• Local self-government means local residents manage their own region.
  • Local self-government is a system where residents of an area form a local government and handle regional administrative affairs independently without central government interference. It contrasts with centralization and is the foundation of democracy and balanced regional development.
  • Key elements of local self-government include: First, autonomy. Local governments have the power to make local laws, manage administration, and control finances. Second, resident participation. Residents can directly participate through referendums, recalls, and audit requests. Third, local councils. Elected representatives monitor and check local government. Fourth, financial independence. The more a local government operates on its own revenue, the more substantial its autonomy.
  • South Korea's Local Autonomy Act was created in 1949 but was suspended for many years. Local self-government was fully restored in 1995. Since then, decentralization has gradually strengthened. In 2022, a complete revision of the Local Autonomy Act further expanded local autonomy and responsibility.

🔎 Invested and Contributed Agencies

• Invested and contributed agencies are public organizations established or supported by local governments.
  • Invested and contributed agencies are corporations or organizations established by local governments through investment or contribution of property or funds. While they serve public interests, they are legally independent entities, separate from direct local government administrative organizations.
  • The difference between invested and contributed agencies: First, invested agencies are organizations where local governments hold stocks or shares, like Busan Urban Corporation and BEXCO. Second, contributed agencies receive financial support from local governments but operate without stocks or shares, like Busan Cultural Foundation and Busan Welfare Development Institute. Third, both types serve public purposes but differ in legal nature and operation.
  • These agencies provide public services in various fields like culture, tourism, economy, and welfare. They can be more specialized and efficient than direct local government administration, but ensuring management transparency and accountability is an important challenge. Busan's term alignment rule can be seen as an attempt to strengthen local government control and accountability over these agencies.

🔎 Special Elections

• Special elections fill vacant elected positions.
  • Special elections are held when a local government head or council member leaves office during their term due to death, resignation, loss of eligibility, etc. These elections choose someone to serve the remaining term. The term means "filling an empty seat."
  • Requirements for special elections: First, a vacancy must occur during the term due to death, resignation, invalidated election, or loss of eligibility. Second, at least one year must remain in the term. If less than one year remains, the position stays vacant until the term ends. Third, according to the Public Official Election Act, elections must be held within 60 days of the vacancy.
  • Characteristics of special elections: Unlike regular elections, they're held only in specific regions or districts and often reflect national political issues as battles between parties. Recently, multiple regional special elections held on the same day have become common. Special elections are democratic tools that minimize administrative gaps and guarantee residents' right to choose, but they do create election costs and social expenses.

5️⃣ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Why align the mayor's and agency heads' terms?

A: So new mayors can effectively pursue their policies.

• The main purpose of term alignment is to ensure policy consistency. First, when a new mayor is elected, they can appoint agency heads who match their promises and policy direction. If agency heads appointed by the previous mayor remain, policy differences might create friction. Second, the mayor and agency heads need to work in sync for efficient city government. Policy decisions and implementation can happen quickly and consistently. Third, responsibility becomes clear. Agency performance during the mayor's term becomes the mayor's responsibility, making it easier for residents to evaluate.
• However, this system has downsides too. Frequent leadership changes can make long-term project execution difficult and reduce organizational stability. Also, political views might become more important than expertise in selecting agency heads. Therefore, finding the right balance between policy consistency and administrative continuity is an important challenge.

Q: Why might BEXCO and Asiad CC be excluded from the rule?

A: Because they're established as stock companies under commercial law with high independence and autonomy.

• BEXCO (Busan Exhibition and Convention Center) and Asiad Country Club are stock companies established under commercial law, unlike other invested and contributed agencies. First, stock companies follow commercial law, where boards of directors make management decisions and shareholders' meetings elect directors. Though Busan City is the major shareholder, legally they are independent companies. Second, ordinances are local government regulations, and there's legal interpretation that they're hard to apply directly to private corporations that are stock companies. Commercial law ranks higher than ordinances. Third, these agencies mainly run profit-making businesses and compete with private companies. Excessive public control could reduce management efficiency.
• However, there are opposing views. If Busan City holds 100% or most of the shares, they are effectively city agencies and should follow the ordinance. Ultimately, this issue requires legal interpretation and policy judgment, and Busan City plans to clarify it through ordinance revision.

Q: Do other local governments have similar systems?

A: Explicit ordinances are rare, but some operate similarly in practice.

• Explicitly aligning mayor and agency head terms through ordinances like Busan is very rare. Most local governments operate this way in practice without ordinances. First, some metropolitan governments including Seoul often replace agency heads when mayors change, but this is personnel practice, not legal requirement. Second, some local governments appoint agency heads as political or contract positions to exercise personnel authority flexibly. Third, some apply it differently based on agency characteristics. Policy-focused agencies work in sync with the mayor, while agencies needing expertise maintain independence.
• Busan's ordinance is meaningful in formalizing existing practice. Depending on how this ordinance works, other local governments might introduce similar systems. However, the appropriate approach may vary by region and agency characteristics, so it's important for each local government to design a system that fits their situation.

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