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A rare civil servant position called 'Pilgyeongsa' (筆耕士), who writes presidential appointment letters in brush calligraphy and seals them with the official state seal of the Republic of Korea, has emerged as a hot topic. Since its inception in 1962, only four people have held this position over 62 years.

According to the Ministry of Personnel Management website on the 1st, one final successful candidate for Pilgyeongsa (Professional Career Officer, Category B) was announced on the 28th of last month. The successful candidate, registered under application number 24539, passed through a competition ratio of 56 to 1. If this candidate completes registration by the 4th and passes background checks and physical examinations without issues, they will be officially appointed as the 5th Pilgyeongsa. This is about six years since the 4th Pilgyeongsa (Chief Officer Kim Dong-hoon) was selected in November 2018.

Previously, when the 3rd Pilgyeongsa, Officer Kim Yi-jung, retired early last year, the Ministry of Personnel Management announced a recruitment notice in February of the same year but postponed the selection due to the lack of qualified candidates. At that time, 21 people applied for one position. While Chief Officer Kim Dong-hoon handled the duties alone for over a year, the government re-announced the Pilgyeongsa recruitment on May 1st, and this time found a suitable candidate.

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The main duties of the Pilgyeongsa include writing presidential appointment letters, affixing the presidential seal and the national seal, operating and managing the appointment letter record ledger system, maintaining government personnel records, and managing appointment letter award ceremonies. It is reported that Pilgyeongsa typically writes about 4,000 to 7,000 appointment letters annually.

The qualification requirements include having at least two years of civil service experience in the same or equivalent position as the intended appointment position, or having at least three years of research or work experience in a related field in the private sector. Additionally, candidates who have obtained a master's degree in related fields such as fine arts or calligraphy, or those with a bachelor's degree in related fields plus at least two years of work or research experience, or those with a junior college degree plus at least three years of experience, are eligible. After passing the document screening, candidates must also undergo a practical test evaluating their ability to write appointment letters, including Korean script style, character arrangement, and overall completeness.

'Pilgyeong' means 'plowing with a brush,' and writing appointment letters by hand is known to symbolize the sincerity of the appointing authority and boost civil servant morale. In 2005, there was a period when appointment letters for civil servants were computerized, but due to feedback from public officials, the handwritten appointment letters by Pilgyeongsa were restored within the same year.