[Inside Chodong] Public Officials' Exodus Signals a Crisis in National Competitiveness

A survey result revealing that 7 out of 10 public officials with less than five years of service are considering resignation was disclosed belatedly. This was from the 'Public Service Organizational Culture Perception Survey' conducted last June by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety targeting 48,000 national and local public officials with less than five years of service, but it was only revealed through the National Assembly audit four months after the survey was conducted.

When asked why the results, which were described as shocking, were not announced earlier, the minister in charge responded, "It is the duty to the public to announce not only the problems but also the countermeasures together." It appears there was concern that prematurely disclosing the fact that public officials, once a coveted profession, have now become structurally difficult to endure, would further accelerate their 'exodus.'

However, it is difficult to stop this mass departure. The number of public officials with less than five years of service who resigned doubled from 6,663 in 2019 to 13,566 last year. Even when looking at those with less than three years of service, the situation is serious: 7,462 in 2021, 8,492 in 2022, and 8,773 in 2023, increasing every year. This means that even junior public officials are abandoning the hard-earned titles of 'iron rice bowl' and 'divine job' to seek new futures by resigning.

The reason is clear. Their salaries have fallen to the minimum wage level, cornering them. To expect a sense of mission from them, appropriate treatment must be provided, but despite repeated internal and external criticism over several years, there are no signs of improvement.

According to a survey conducted last year by the Korean Government Employees' Union (KGEU) among its members, 69% of public officials in their 20s and 30s who expressed an intention to resign mid-career cited 'low wages' as the reason. According to the union, the salary for a Grade 9, Step 1 public official this year is about 2.3 million KRW per month, including a base salary of 1,877,000 KRW, a position allowance of 175,000 KRW, and a fixed meal allowance of 140,000 KRW. This is not much different from the monthly wage of a general worker calculated based on this year's minimum hourly wage (9,860 KRW), which is 2,060,740 KRW. After taxes, the net take-home pay is less than 2 million KRW.

The government has decided to raise public officials' salaries by 3.0% next year, the largest increase in eight years, but for Grade 9, Step 1, this amounts to only about 50,000 to 60,000 KRW more per month. The Public Officials Salary Committee under the Ministry of Personnel Management additionally recommended that the government strive to increase salaries, including allowances, by more than 160,000 KRW per month to ensure their livelihood, but whether this will be implemented remains uncertain.

Because of this, even the number of applicants is decreasing. The competition ratio for the national public official Grade 9 open recruitment dropped from 53.8 to 1 in 2016 to 21.8 to 1 in 2024, and for Grade 7, from 76.7 to 1 in 2016 to 40.6 to 1 in 2024. While it is concerning that talented individuals are not flocking to public service, it is even more regrettable that fewer young people willing to contribute to the nation and society through public service are emerging, given that public service competitiveness is national competitiveness.

Poor working conditions also wear them down. Excessive malicious complaints including verbal abuse, insults, threats, sexual harassment, and a rigid organizational culture are complex underlying factors. It was also revealed during this National Assembly audit that some local governments have a bad practice called 'serving day,' where lower-ranking public officials pay out of pocket to treat their superiors such as department heads and section chiefs to meals.

The government has invested 940 billion KRW this year alone in building a digital platform government, such as 'civil complaint applications without required documents,' more than double last year's budget. However, if treatment improvements are not made for the organizations that implement and manage this service, system reform will inevitably face limitations. If you want to receive proper service, you have to pay the proper price. Rather than criticizing those who leave by saying, "Why bother going through hardship to get in," it is time to reflect on whether only obligations and responsibilities have been emphasized while neglecting their treatment.