First Stage Exemption Introduced for Grade 7 Candidates Failing the Interview
The Public Service Aptitude Test (PSAT) will be introduced for the Grade 7 local government official open competitive examination, and the Korean History Proficiency Test will be introduced for the Grade 9 recruitment exam.
On the 18th, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that it will publicly notify the partial amendments to the "Local Government Officials Appointment Decree" and the "Local Research Guidance Staff Regulations" from the 19th, which include these measures to strengthen the job competency of local government officials and reduce the burden on open competitive exam candidates.
First, according to the amendment, the Korean language subject in the Grade 7 local government official open competitive exam will be replaced by the PSAT, and the examination procedure will also be changed.
The current Korean language subject was restructured due to criticisms that it focused excessively on memorization, placing a heavy burden on examinees, and had low relevance to actual job duties. Accordingly, the PSAT, which measures comprehensive thinking ability, will be introduced from 2027 with a two-year grace period. The PSAT is already used in the Grade 5 administrative examination and the national Grade 7 civil service exam.
Additionally, the current two-stage examination process of written test and interview will be adjusted to three stages. The method will be to take the 1st stage PSAT, 2nd stage subject written test, and 3rd stage interview. The first stage will select successful candidates based on the top PSAT scores within ten times the number of available positions. A new regulation exempts examinees who fail the interview from taking the first stage exam in the next test.
For the Grade 9 local government official open competitive exam, from 2027, the Korean history subject can be replaced by the Korean History Proficiency Test (Level 3) administered by the National Institute of Korean History. In 2021, the Level 2 Korean History Proficiency Test was introduced as a replacement in the Grade 7 local government official open competitive exam.
Also, in the current Grade 9 open competitive exam, if total written test scores were tied, all tied candidates were accepted as final passers. Going forward, if ties occur, acceptance will be determined based on higher scores in the second stage subjects.
The recruitment physical examination will also be simplified. Previously, newly recruited local government officials were required to submit a "Recruitment Physical Examination Report," which incurred costs, but from now on, a free "Recruitment Health Check Substitute Notification" issued by the National Health Insurance Service can also be used.
The amendment can be viewed in the official gazette and on the National Participation Legislation Center website. Opinions on the amendment during the public notice period can be submitted via mail, fax, or the National Participation Legislation Center.
Kim Min-jae, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, stated, "This revision of exam subjects is expected to strengthen the job competency of local government officials and reduce the burden on examinees," adding, "We will continue to improve the local government personnel system to attract talented individuals to local governments and support the enhancement of local government officials' capabilities."
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