[2022 National Audit] "Sixteen Public Institutions under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Reduce Staff by 536"

The Largest Workforce Reduction Plan is by Korea Sports Industry Development

Thirty-one public institutions under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism are set to reduce their workforce by 536 employees in accordance with the government's public institution innovation guidelines.

According to the innovation plans disclosed on the 4th by Im Jong-seong, a member of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee (Democratic Party), sixteen out of the thirty-one public institutions under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, including Grand Korea Leisure, Korea Sports Promotion Foundation, Korea Sports Industry Development, Korea Press Foundation, Korea Tourism Organization, and Korea Creative Content Agency, are pushing for a reduction of 536 personnel.

The institution planning the largest workforce reduction is Korea Sports Industry Development, which operates and manages Olympic facilities, sports centers, and golf courses. By downsizing ten projects such as abolishing operational functions upon the sale of the Ilsan and Bundang sports centers, discontinuing the operation of the lifelong education center, and ceasing support for the operation of five golf courses, it will reduce 271 employees. The Korea Sports Promotion Foundation, the parent organization of Korea Sports Industry Development, will also reduce 164 employees through measures such as transferring the operation of public golf courses to local governments, downsizing off-track betting branches for bicycle and motorboat racing, and pushing for the sale of the Ilsan and Bundang sports centers. Although some reduction plans overlap between the two institutions, the number of reduced personnel is not counted twice.

Grand Korea Leisure, whose major shareholder is the Korea Tourism Organization, will maintain essential personnel for its core casino business operations but will reduce 45 employees gradually by 2027 through organizational restructuring. The Korea Creative Content Agency will cut 11 employees by abolishing or transferring non-core functions such as operating the Content Noolimteo and the national game technical qualification verification, and by downsizing the Content Gender Equality Center and the Fair Coexistence Center. Additionally, the Seoul Arts Center plans to reduce eight employees, the Korea Tourism Organization seven, and the Korea Press Foundation, the Korean Film Council, and the Korea Copyright Protection Agency five employees each.

There are criticisms that some public institutions minimize reductions in higher-ranking positions and focus workforce cuts on lower-paid ranks. For example, Korea Sports Industry Development plans to reduce two higher-ranking employees (one at grade 2 and one at grade 3), while cutting 250 full-time and operational staff. The Korea Sports Promotion Foundation will reduce three employees at grade 2 or above but cut 148 permanent contract workers. Similarly, the Korea Creative Content Agency will reduce only one higher-ranking employee out of the eleven total reductions.

Assemblyman Im stated, "The public institution innovation plan of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration is a superficial reform that only reduces the number of permanent contract workers," adding, "Since there are concerns about privatization in the public sector, we will thoroughly monitor to ensure that the plans proceed after sufficient review considering the characteristics of each institution."