[Gwanga in] "Maintain political neutrality" order... "Martial law declaration?" backlash, unsettled Gwanga

Deputy Governor's Internal Control Post at BOK
Criticism Pours in on 'Blind'
Economic Policy Discussions with MoEF Halted
Employees Sigh, "Motivation to Work Crushed"

The aftermath of martial law continues to cause unrest within the public service community. While the higher-ups have urged employees to focus on their core duties and have initiated internal monitoring, the situation remains unsettled as the martial law incident moves into the impeachment phase. On the front lines, there is a growing voice of resistance against the upper management's request for political neutrality, and with major policy discussions temporarily halted, a self-deprecating atmosphere of diminished motivation to work prevails.

According to related ministries and the Bank of Korea on the 6th, the Deputy Governor in charge of management at the Bank of Korea posted a message on the company bulletin board on the 4th urging employees to maintain political neutrality and focus on their primary duties, which sparked backlash from staff. The executive stated, "Political neutrality is of utmost importance for central bank employees," and requested, "Please be mindful of political remarks in public settings and also keep this in mind when attending year-end and New Year gatherings or events."

Bank of Korea employees strongly opposed this. On the employee-only board of the anonymous online workplace community 'Blind,' one employee expressed intense reactions such as, "This is a rebellion violating the constitution, so are central bank employees being told to deviate from the constitution?" "Both ruling and opposition party leaders criticize this as rebellion, so it is natural to criticize the rebel forces," and "Is the Bank of Korea also declaring martial law?" expressing dissatisfaction.

Morale among employees preparing major policies at key economic ministries such as the Ministry of Economy and Finance has also significantly declined. Discussions on the timing of the economic policy direction announcement, which was expected to be released within this year, have been temporarily suspended. An employee at the Ministry of Economy and Finance said, "As senior officials' work is focused on responding to martial law and impeachment, discussions on the schedule for the economic policy announcement we were preparing have also stopped," adding, "Employees often watch the news on TV in the office to keep up with updates."

With Ministers Resigning One After Another, Organizational Restructuring and Personnel Changes Are Also Uncertain

Responses to the budget bill have also effectively been sidelined. A government official said, "Right now, it is difficult even to bring up discussions on the budget bill," adding, "All responses are focused on martial law and impeachment." Other employees said, "For now, we can only wait," and "It is inevitable that work cannot proceed." Recently, the Ministry of Economy and Finance’s Budget Office withdrew entirely from the National Assembly and returned to the government Sejong office after the opposition party unilaterally passed a reduced budget bill. This has put a halt to budget review work and led to an unprecedented martial law and impeachment situation.

As ministers have been resigning one after another, the chaotic atmosphere has heightened concerns about organizational restructuring and personnel schedules. A Financial Supervisory Service official said, "It is probably difficult to guarantee the organizational restructuring and personnel schedules planned until next week," and a Ministry of Economy and Finance employee stated, "With all heads of organizations potentially being replaced, it has become impossible to predict personnel matters even a step ahead."

At a delicate timing, even communication between institutions has not been smooth. The day before, Statistics Korea announced a significant numerical error in the Household Finance and Welfare Survey statistics, leading to a postponement of the data release. The Bank of Korea and the Financial Supervisory Service, which jointly prepare the data, received this information belatedly. A Financial Supervisory Service official lamented, "Although the Bank of Korea and the Financial Supervisory Service jointly prepare the data, the survey and statistical compilation are almost entirely handled by Statistics Korea," adding, "If Statistics Korea does not inform us, we cannot know either." A Statistics Korea official said, "The situation was urgent, so we organized and informed them."