The person who posted the civil servant success story... wants to "resign" after just half a year

Voluntary Retirement of Public Officials Up 61% in 5 Years
Low Pay, Excessive Workload, Disappointment in Public Service Atmosphere
9th Grade Competition Rate Hits Lowest Record in 31 Years

A post expressing the feelings of a new civil servant who passed the exam after 4 years but wants to resign after just 6 months has become a hot topic online.

For the past few years, civil servants were considered the best job due to their stability and guaranteed retirement.

Recently, however, the situation has changed. Despite passing the exam with great difficulty, voluntary resignations are increasing due to excessive workloads and low pay.

[Image source=Getty Images]

On the 6th, a post titled "Has anyone experienced 'uiwonmyeonjik'?" was uploaded to an online community mainly joined by people preparing for the civil service exam.

The author wrote, "I apologize for posting this in a cafe where many hardworking examinees study, but I want to resign through 'uiwonmyeonjik' and have no one around to ask, so I am seeking help." 'Uiwonmyeonjik' refers to a civil servant expressing their intention to resign. It is synonymous with submitting a resignation letter in the private sector.

The post gained more attention as the author was known to have posted a '4-year civil service exam taker's success story for passing the local government general administration exam' last September.

This post is seen as vividly reflecting the concerns of young civil servants today.

According to Seoul city statistics from last October, 866 civil servants in their 20s and 30s applied for 'uiwonmyeonjik' from 2017 to 2021. The number increased from 131 in 2017 to 211 in 2021. In particular, the scale of voluntary resignations among civil servants increased by 61% in 2021 compared to 2017.

The Lowest Competition Rate in 31 Years Recorded for the Grade 9 National Civil Service Exam

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Meanwhile, reflecting the concerns of new civil servants, the competition rate for the Grade 9 national civil service open competitive recruitment exam this year recorded the lowest level in 31 years.

According to the Ministry of Personnel Management on the 9th, the application period for the Grade 9 national civil service exam was from the 9th to the 11th of last month. A total of 121,526 applicants applied for 5,326 Grade 9 civil servant positions in 2023, resulting in a competition rate of 22.8 to 1. This is the lowest rate in 31 years since the 19.3 to 1 recorded in 1992.

Looking at the competition rates over the past 8 years: ▲2016 - 53.8 to 1 ▲2017 - 46.5 to 1 ▲2018 - 41 to 1 ▲2019 - 39.2 to 1 ▲2020 - 37.2 to 1 ▲2021 - 35.0 to 1 ▲2022 - 29.2 to 1 ▲2023 - 22.8 to 1, showing a continuous decline for 7 consecutive years.

Former and current civil servants and civil service exam takers (Gongsisaeng) have responded that this was a "predictable outcome." It is analyzed that the relatively low salary compared to the private sector, vertical hierarchy, and the image of 'musa-aniljuui' (bureaucratic complacency) have caused young people to start turning away from Grade 9 civil servant positions.

In particular, the Grade 9 civil servant, once known for a 'stable life,' is no longer attractive to young workers who prioritize rapid wage increases and personal achievement, leading to forecasts that the competition rate will decline further in the future.