Shin Sung-young, Incheon City Council Member: "Failure to Pass the Incheon Economic Agency Head Recruitment is a Disregard for the Council"

Shin Sung-young, a member of the Incheon City Council's Industry and Economy Committee (People Power Party, Jung-gu 2), strongly criticized the Incheon City administration for its decision to eliminate him in the document review stage of the open recruitment process for the head of the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority.

During his personal remarks at the first plenary session of the 306th Incheon City Council temporary meeting held on the 27th, he stated, "The Incheon City administration eliminated me from the formal requirements review, claiming that 'legislative achievements have not been proven.' This is a subjective judgment that completely denies the role and achievements of the council and is a serious misjudgment that looks down on not only the Incheon City Council but also local councils across the country."

Referring to Articles 117 and 118 of the Constitution, he argued, "Local governments are composed of the administration and the council, and the achievements of the past three and a half years are the result of cooperation with the council, not solely the administration. To deny this is contrary to the constitutional order."

He presented major legislative achievements such as ▲Free tolls on the Yeongjong Bridge ▲Free tolls on the Third Land Bridge ▲Promotion of the division of Yeongjong District ▲Resolution of overcrowding in elementary schools in Yeongjong ▲Establishment of a special school in Yeongjong ▲Promotion of international schools ▲Designation of a bio-specialized zone ▲Attracting the Overseas Koreans Agency to Incheon ▲Establishment of a dedicated Incheon CES hall ▲Cancellation of the Yeongjong incineration plant, stating, "To view all these achievements as solely the administration's accomplishments is not true."

Additionally, he pointed out, "The open recruitment system for the head of the Incheon Economic Agency was intended to broadly recruit capable external talents, but in reality, it has been distorted into a revolving door and favoritism for retired high-ranking officials. The head of the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority cannot be filled through conventional personnel practices."

He continued, "The Incheon Free Economic Zone is facing a new turning point after 2030, and we need a reform-minded and capable individual who can accurately understand the characteristics of Incheon and the role of the economic free zone and persuade the central government."

Regarding future responses, Shin stated, "This document elimination is deemed an abuse of discretion, and I have filed an objection and a request for retrial with Incheon City, applied for administrative appeals and suspension of execution with the Central Administrative Appeals Commission, and plan to proceed with administrative lawsuits and requests for audits by the Board of Audit and Inspection."

Shin emphasized, "This issue is not a personal matter but is aimed at ensuring that the achievements of elected officials are fairly evaluated and restoring the essence of local autonomy. Appointments that disregard the future of the Incheon Economic Agency and the will of the Incheon citizens must not be tolerated."