Park Chan-gu, a former special adviser on political affairs to Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, officially took office Thursday as the vice mayor for political affairs, city officials said.
Park began serving in the post Thursday, supporting the mayor in coordinating affairs with the National Assembly, Seoul Metropolitan Council, media and political parties. The position is considered equivalent to a vice minister-level post in the central government.
The appointment was made by Kim Sung-bo, Seoul’s second deputy mayor for administrative affairs, who is serving as acting mayor after Oh registered as a preliminary candidate for the June 3 local elections, in which he is seeking a fifth term.
Under the Local Autonomy Act, an acting mayor system is triggered when the head of a local government registers as a preliminary candidate or candidate for an election for the same post without resigning from office.
Park’s appointment came after his predecessor, Kim Byung-min, resigned on April 26 to join Oh’s election campaign team.
Park, who completed a doctoral course in business administration at Hanyang University, has worked alongside Oh since 2006, when Oh began his first term as Seoul mayor after being elected while Park was serving as a member of the Seoul Metropolitan Council.
After Oh returned to office through a by-election in 2021, Park was appointed secretary for political affairs. He later served as a special adviser on political affairs beginning the following year.
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