Selection of Calligraphers Writing Presidential Appointment Certificates by Brush... The 5th in History

Announcement of Final Successful Candidates by the Ministry of Personnel Management
Rare Civil Servants Achieve 56 to 1 Competition Rate

A successful candidate for the civil servant position of 'Pilgyeongsa' (筆耕士), who writes presidential appointment letters in calligraphy, has emerged.

According to the Ministry of Personnel Management on the 1st, the final successful candidate for Pilgyeongsa (Specialized Career Officer, Category B) was announced on the 28th of last month on their website. 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.

An official from the Ministry of Personnel Management explained, "The Pilgyeongsa who passed the final selection this time overcame a competition rate of 56 to 1," adding, "They will be responsible for tasks such as drafting presidential appointment letters, affixing the presidential seal and the national seal, operating and managing the appointment letter record ledger system, and maintaining government personnel records."

This Pilgyeongsa recruitment was conducted for the first time in about six years since the selection of the 4th Pilgyeongsa (Kim Donghun, Administrative Officer) in November 2018. Previously, when Kim Ijung, the 3rd Pilgyeongsa and Administrative Officer, retired early last year, a recruitment announcement was made in February of the same year, but no suitable candidates were found, so the selection was postponed.

Subsequently, the government issued another Pilgyeongsa recruitment announcement on May 1st.

Established in 1962, the Pilgyeongsa position is considered one of the rarest civil servant roles, with only four people appointed over the past 62 years. Pilgyeongsa are generally known to produce approximately 4,000 to 7,000 appointment letters annually.