Ongoing Disputes Between Complainants and Netizens
"Insulting Parents Is Going Too Far," Netizens Point Out
A citizen who visited a township office located in Seosan, Chungnam, raised a public complaint, claiming that only the officials were eating watermelon and none was offered to them, sparking controversy. On the Seosan City Hall’s civil complaint bulletin board, posts criticizing the complaint and the original complainant’s rebuttal have led netizens to engage in heated debates.
On the 27th of last month, a complaint titled "I was treated like this in my hometown" was posted on the official website bulletin board of Seosan City, Chungnam. The author, Mr. A, who stated, "I visited the township office for the first time in a long while to supplement documents at my husband’s request," described the situation, saying that about 10 officials were gathered at the township office eating watermelon.
Mr. A said, "It was close to 4 p.m., so I was the only civil petitioner there," adding, "The person in charge was not at their desk and was said to be outside, so I had to wait a bit. Only a female employee I had never seen before paid attention to me, and during the wait, not a single official spoke warmly to their local resident or offered me any watermelon," expressing frustration.
Mr. A continued, "The 10 officials were of various ages, yet they all behaved the same way, which was simply astonishing," and said, "In such a situation, even if they were strangers, wouldn’t they offer at least once? I am not just a passerby but a civil petitioner visiting the township office and a local resident. I was so ashamed of them at that moment that it felt reassuring they were not my own children. I was offended," revealing his discomfort.
Mr. A further wrote, "I realized that I am paying taxes for people like them. They have no affection for their local residents," and added, "Seeing our next generation who don’t even know what public service is makes me feel truly pathetic," expressing his disappointment.
He went on, "When they were cleaning up the watermelon rinds, they avoided eye contact and threw them down. I wonder if they had any conscience at all," and concluded, "Is this a problem of parental education? Or is it a problem of civil servant training? Why do they even attend training sessions? It seems like they learn nothing," ending his post.
Mr. A’s post recorded over 7,900 views as of 9 a.m. on the 1st, which is more than twice the number of views of a notice posted by Seosan City Hall in 2019.
Mr. A's post recorded over 7,900 views as of 9 a.m. on the 1st. This number is more than double the views of a notice posted by Seosan City Hall in 2019. [Photo by Seosan City Hall website]
After Mr. A’s post was uploaded, some comments expressed incomprehension toward his reaction. One netizen who replied to Mr. A’s post said, "I’m not sure if it’s right to insult parents just because the officials didn’t offer watermelon to a civil petitioner while eating it. I wondered if there was anything else besides not offering watermelon, but that’s exactly it," and questioned, "On the contrary, does the author always offer food to anyone who comes by while eating?"
Mr. A immediately rebutted this comment, saying, "I went crazy because I couldn’t eat watermelon," and added, "I think you don’t understand the point I’m making." He said, "Who do you think I am? I am a local resident who clearly went there for official business. Is it right not to say a warm word?" Mr. A emphasized that the problem was that the officials collectively ignored him and asked, "Do you think they would feel good about it?"
In response, another netizen pointed out, "It seems you have a strange idea that officials must serve the public, but officials are also precious children and parents to someone when they go home."
There were also netizens who supported the township office staff, with comments like, "They work hard in the hot weather in many ways," and "Don’t take it to heart, eat more watermelon in the heat, and stay strong."
On the other hand, some netizens defended Mr. A, saying, "Is it so difficult to offer even a piece of watermelon and start a conversation?"
Low Pay and Malicious Complaints... Civil Servants Are No Longer a 'Dream Job'
Once, civil service was a preferred and admired career among young people. However, as the perception that the pay is low and the workload excessive has spread, it has become a career to avoid among the younger generation.
At one time, civil servants were a preferred job and an object of admiration among young people. However, as the perception that the pay is low and the workload is excessive has spread, it has become an undesirable career choice among the younger generation. The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. [Photo by Yonhap News]
In particular, even those who pass after tremendous effort sometimes leave due to stress from verbal abuse by civil petitioners. A rigid organizational culture is also cited as a reason for resignation. Among these, civil servants are currently protesting that the current wage system is nothing but unconditional sacrifice.
The competition rate for civil service positions is also declining. According to the Ministry of Personnel Management’s announcement of the competition rates over the past five years, the rates were 39.2:1 in 2019, 37.2:1 in 2020, 35.0:1 in 2021, 29.2:1 in 2022, and 22.8:1 in 2023.
The competition rate has been steadily decreasing every year, but except for 1992, last year, and this year, it has never fallen below 30:1. Among these, this year marks the lowest rate ever. The number of applicants also decreased by 43,526 from 165,524 last year to 43,998 this year.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
