▲ Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae is seen during an interview with Yonhap News at her office in the Gyeonggi Provincial Government complex in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on the 23rd.
Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae instructed officials on the 27th to thoroughly listen to the voices of local residents regarding the first administrative reorganization plan of the 9th popular election—which has faced backlash from provincial government employees—and to proceed with a re-announcement of legislation if necessary.
Hong Eun-kwang, spokesperson for Gyeonggi Province, conveyed the message through a written briefing, stating, "Governor Choo ordered a faithful review of the opinions raised during the legislative notice period from the 21st to the 26th regarding the reorganization plan."
Governor Choo specifically directed officials to strengthen the promotion framework for the social solidarity economy and policy-planning functions related to animal welfare, and to carry out additional administrative procedures such as a re-announcement of legislation if deemed necessary.
Previously, Gyeonggi Province had announced a legislative notice for a reorganization plan aimed at reducing the current structure of 30 bureaus and offices, 5 divisions, and 151 departments down to 25 bureaus and offices, 5 divisions, and 141 departments.
During this process, social solidarity economy organizations, including the Gyeonggi Social Enterprise Council, demanded the withdrawal of the abolition of the Social Innovation Economy Bureau, while animal protection civic groups opposed the integration of the Livestock and Animal Welfare Bureau and the Agriculture and Fisheries Life Science Bureau.
Additionally, labor organizations held press conferences urging a reconsideration of the abolition of the Immigration and Society Bureau and the downsizing of the Labor Bureau.
In a survey conducted by the Gyeonggi Provincial Government branch of the Korean Government Employees' Union targeting provincial hall staff, 90.5% of respondents opposed the reorganization plan. They cited reasons such as promotion bottlenecks, personnel disadvantages, and increased burdens on commuting and family life resulting from the relocation of workplaces between northern and southern regions.
Furthermore, 90.8% of respondents evaluated that the rationale and basis for the reorganization were insufficient.
Some 95.5% responded that there was a lack of gathering opinions from employees.
Spokesperson Hong stated, "We plan to comprehensively review the opinions raised through various organizations and the media, consult with the Provincial Council, and submit the reorganization plan to the Provincial Council during November."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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