KEPCO and KHNP Decide Not to Include 'Military Service Period' in Promotion Eligibility Duration

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[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) are considering excluding military service periods from the eligibility period for promotion.

On the 14th, a KHNP official stated, "We are reviewing a plan to exclude military service periods from the eligibility period for promotion from Grade 4 (Assistant Manager level) to Grade 3 (Deputy General Manager level)," adding, "We plan to finalize the 'Amendment to Personnel-Related Regulations and Guidelines' reflecting this within this month."

Until now, KHNP had recognized military service periods during Grade 4 as part of the required eligibility period for promotion to Grade 3, but they are now pushing for related regulatory revisions. For promotion from Grade 3 to Grade 2 (General Manager level), only the working period at Grade 3 excluding military service is currently recognized.

Earlier, KEPCO also announced that it is reviewing improvements to its promotion system to exclude pre-employment military service from promotion eligibility requirements. However, as before, military service periods will still be recognized for salary step calculations, so there will be no changes in pay.

The review of promotion system improvements by KEPCO, KHNP, and others follows the Ministry of Economy and Finance's recommendation earlier this year for public institutions to remove clauses reflecting military service periods when evaluating employees' promotion eligibility. According to KEPCO, among 340 public institutions, only 15, including KEPCO and KHNP, currently reflect pre-employment military service in promotions.