Are Public Officials Also 'Building Owners Above the Creator'? ... Public Officials Earning More Than Their Salary Through 'Two Jobs'

Government officials are leaving the Sejong-ro Government Seoul Office Building for lunch.
[Image source = Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy reporters Seunggon Han and Eunyoung Choi] Concerns have been raised about the need for strict service management as some public officials earn more income from secondary jobs than their base salary.

On the 11th, Park Jae-ho, a member of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, analyzed the '2019 Public Officials Secondary Job Approval Status' submitted by the Ministry of Personnel Management. The investigation revealed that a total of 1,410 public officials were approved for secondary jobs last year. Among them, five officials earned more than 50 million KRW annually from their secondary jobs.

The public official with the highest income from a secondary job was a sergeant affiliated with the National Police Agency, who earned 30 million KRW monthly and 360 million KRW annually through real estate leasing. A Grade 4 official from the Ministry of Justice earned 14.5 million KRW monthly and 174 million KRW annually by working as a doctor concurrently. There was also a customs official who earned 71.52 million KRW annually from leasing business, exceeding their base salary.

Last year, a total of 56 public officials earned more than 10 million KRW from secondary jobs. Among them, 16 were from the National Police Agency, followed by 9 from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, 8 from the Public Procurement Service, and 6 from the Ministry of Justice.

[Image source = Office of Park Jae-ho, Member of the Democratic Party of Korea]

Looking at the application status for secondary job approvals by ministry, leasing business operators were the most common with 47 individuals. It was revealed that among them was a public official owning 10 commercial properties. A standing member of the National Human Rights Commission also earned an additional 3.4 million KRW monthly and 40.8 million KRW annually from leasing business.

Twelve public officials operated personal businesses, and some earned more than 20 million KRW annually from activities such as broadcasting appearances.

Representative Park stated, "The Public Officials Act prohibits public officials from engaging in profit-making activities to ensure strict service management and dedication to their duties, serving the public as their mission." He emphasized, "Since the 'two-job' issue is a customary practice across all ministries, the Ministry of Personnel Management should conduct a thorough investigation and reestablish the system."