[Gwanga in] "I want to be an accountant, not a samugwan"… Departing Ministry of Economy and Finance Employees

Ministry of Strategy and Finance Officer Heading to Law or Medical School
Now Requests Resignation Before Passing Exams
Suffering from Intense Workload and Poor Treatment
"Preparing to Change Jobs Secretly from Manager"

The atmosphere of organizational departure among Ministry of Economy and Finance (MOEF) officials is becoming serious. Once known as the "top ministry" attracting elite officials, now many officials dream of "escaping the MOEF." Some have left for law school, medical school, or private companies, and recently, an employee resigned to prepare for the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam. There are also predictions that more officials will resign in the future.

According to government sources on the 24th, a MOEF official recently requested dismissal to prepare for the CPA exam. This official is known to be a low-ranking employee who passed the administrative exam. At the end of last year, three MOEF officials were admitted to law school, and one to dental school, but this time, an official resigned even before passing the exam to take the test. In addition, many MOEF officials are reportedly preparing to resign for reasons such as transferring to law school.

Signs of further departures are also emerging. MOEF official A said, "I heard that the official who went to law school received dozens of calls from colleagues asking how they prepared for the exam," adding, "There are quite a few officials secretly preparing to transfer without their manager knowing." Official B said, "Everyone has realized that it is possible to pass professional exams while working," and confessed, "Although I am very tired after working overtime, it is better to study while still young and leave early."

The resignations of MOEF officials are becoming faster and more decisive. In 2022, an official from the Economic Structural Reform Bureau moved to Dunamu, which operates the virtual asset exchange Upbit. The resignation of an official who had been called an ace in public service for 10 years caused a stir in government circles. In the same year, an official who had passed the administrative exam just one year prior moved to Naver, notably joining as a new employee without recognition of prior experience. In 2021, a MOEF official shocked the public by moving to a contract position as a parliamentary aide.

The dissatisfaction with treatment is behind the desire to leave the organization. The MOEF has a higher workload intensity compared to other ministries, with frequent overtime work. However, the wage gap with the private sector is widening. Last year, the public servant wage level compared to the private sector was 83.1%, marking an all-time low. Although inflation reached 11.6% over three years since 2021, public servant salary increases were only 4.1%. Considering inflation, the real wages of public servants actually decreased by 7.5%.

Personnel stagnation is also a problem. It typically takes 13 to 15 years for a grade 5 MOEF official to be promoted to grade 4 secretary. Considering that in other ministries, officials usually become secretaries in 8 to 10 years, the promotion speed is considerably slow. It is difficult to reach the grade 3 deputy director position even after serving as a section chief multiple times. Official C lamented, "I sometimes meet colleagues from other ministries who have become section chiefs in meeting rooms."

There is great concern internally that the number of resigning officials may increase. A senior MOEF official said, "Considering wages and pensions, it has become a time when I feel sorry to assign work to juniors as before," and added, "I worry that if the chronic problems are not resolved, the resignation rate of officials might suddenly increase significantly."