How Did Seoul City Get Here?... Growing Concerns Over the Harsh Public Sector Atmosphere

The Seoul Metropolitan Government is perhaps an organization that works even more intensely than central government agencies. The Seoul Metropolitan Government is known for attracting top-ranking candidates who have passed the national civil service exam with outstanding scores.

As a result, it has a reputation for being an extremely demanding workplace. Despite holding the title of the first four-term mayor of Seoul, Mayor Oh Sehoon is known for his meticulous work ethic, which keeps senior officials on constant alert.

This underscores just how challenging the organization is.

Nevertheless, despite its intensity, the organization maintains a certain level of camaraderie among colleagues. The warm side of the public sector is still evident, with many colleagues attending the weddings of the children of retired coworkers.

However, a recent case has drawn attention and sympathy from observers.

The selection process for an executive position at the Local Government Officials’ Mutual Aid Association, a highly popular post-retirement role funded by contributions from civil servants’ salaries and paid out as a pension, has begun. Initially, the Seoul Metropolitan Government planned to have Director A, who passed the civil service exam somewhat later and is therefore ineligible to receive a civil service pension for two years after retirement, retire slightly early to take this position.

However, the process changed when Mr. B, who entered honorary retirement this year, suddenly applied, turning the selection into a competition between two former Seoul Metropolitan Government directors. Notably, Director A was reportedly so close to Mr. B that he was the only senior Seoul official to bring flowers to Mr. B’s retirement ceremony at the end of last year.

With these two now competing, senior officials in the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s administrative bureau have found themselves in an awkward situation. If Mr. A retires and takes the new position, it would create a chain of promotions for directors, division heads, and team leaders, which would be highly beneficial for organizational management.

However, as the competition is now between the two, the organization is hoping for cooperation, but the situation is so delicate that it is difficult to take any concrete action, leaving many feeling uncomfortable.

One retired senior official from the Seoul Metropolitan Government, observing the situation, commented, "The world may be a harsh place, but I never expected to see something like this in the public sector," expressing his regret.

Meanwhile, the current executive, who is scheduled to retire this month, is a former high-ranking Seoul official from the 36th class of the administrative civil service exam. Although the term is three years, he has managed to stay in the position for over six years due to repeated delays in the appointment of his successor, earning him the reputation of a "fortunate retired civil servant."