Five-Minute Free Speech
"An Organizational Culture That Encourages and Protects Public Officials"
Kim Gunho, a member of the Gwangju Seo-gu Council and Chair of the Planning and General Affairs Committee, raised the need to improve the duty and acting allowance system during a five-minute free speech at the 3rd plenary session of the 1st regular meeting of the 331st session on June 25. He also emphasized the importance of fostering an organizational culture that encourages and protects courageous and proactive public officials.
Kim Gunho pointed out issues with the current duty system, stating, "Although there are clear differences in working hours, types, and intensity between day duty (working on holidays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., 9 hours) and night duty (working 365 days from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m., 15 hours), the same compensation is provided, and the substitute leave time is also not equitable."
He continued, "Even in the relevant regulations, matters related to leave are uniformly categorized as 'duty,' and there are discrepancies with the Local Public Officials Service Regulations. Furthermore, it is necessary to consider hiring dedicated staff for duty shifts."
In addition, he raised concerns about the appropriateness of the "within 40 hours per month" limit for acting allowances and the adequacy of the compensation, stressing the need to review the actual situation.
He added, "There is a self-deprecating saying, 'I just want to keep a low profile.' While it is important to be able to voice concerns about problems, it is even more important to first establish systems and an organizational culture that encourage and protect public officials who wish to act proactively. I request a thorough review of matters that can be improved internally by gathering opinions and understanding the actual conditions of local public officials who are engaged in community-based administration."
During the same session, Kim Gunho also proposed a partial amendment to the "Gwangju Metropolitan City Seo-gu Local Public Officials Service Ordinance." He has consistently made recommendations to improve the treatment of low-tenure local public officials, including examining the status of "concentrated work hours," the assignment of "test supervisors" and "election staff," and preparing measures for voluntary resignation, including duty shifts.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Personnel Management announced in January this year their intention to foster a "trustworthy public sector." Recently, they introduced a new support obligation through the revision of the "Active Administration Operation Guidelines," which includes appointing an "Active Protection Officer" to support national public officials who face lawsuits or accusations as a result of carrying out proactive administration.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
