CCEJ: "9 Out of 10 Retired Public Officials from Five Ministries Receive Employment Approval"

Ministry of Employment and Labor Records Highest Approval Rate at 96.2%

A civic group has reported that 9 out of 10 retired public officials from five ministries, including the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, have received approval to take new jobs after retirement.

On the 16th, participants at a press conference held by the Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice (CCEJ) in the auditorium of CCEJ in Jongno-gu, Seoul, announced analysis data on the approval rates for employment screening of retired public officials by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and Ministry of Environment (Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment) from July 2022 to July 2025. Photo by Yonhap News

On December 16, the Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice (CCEJ) held a press conference at its auditorium in Jongno-gu, Seoul, where it presented an analysis of the approval rates for employment screening of retired public officials from the Ministry of Employment and Labor, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and Ministry of Environment (Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment) between July 2022 and July 2025.

The employment screening system for retired public officials is designed to review whether a former official’s new position at another institution is closely related to the work they performed before retirement, and to decide whether to grant approval. The purpose is to prevent improper connections between public officials and private organizations.

According to the CCEJ’s findings, out of 180 cases subject to employment screening in these five ministries, 161 cases (89.4%) received either employment eligibility or employment approval.

At the Ministry of Employment and Labor, 6 out of 26 individuals were deemed eligible for employment, and 19 received employment approval, resulting in a total approval rate of 96.2%. The Ministry of Justice recorded an approval rate of 94.9%, the Ministry of Environment 89.7%, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety 85.7%, and the Ministry of Education 82.4%.

‘Employment eligibility’ is granted when a retired public official seeks employment at an institution unrelated to their previous work, while ‘employment approval’ is given even if there is a work-related connection, provided there are special reasons for approval.

The CCEJ pointed out the ambiguity of the ‘special reasons’ exception for employment approval. Of the 87 reasons recognized for the 59 cases that received employment approval, 53 cases (60.9%) were classified as “cases where expertise is proven and the possibility of exerting influence after employment is low.” Another 24 cases (27.6%) were instances “where, considering the nature, significance, and frequency of tasks handled at the previous organization during the five years before retirement and the nature of the work at the new company, the likelihood of exerting influence after employment is low.”

The CCEJ stated, “Retired public officials are taking advantage of loopholes in the ‘special reasons’ exception to seek reemployment,” and emphasized, “There is a need to clarify the exceptions for employment approval.” The group added, “Despite the negative impact of government-business collusion and the undermining of fairness in the job market-often referred to as ‘Gwanfia’-on our society, the government and political circles have not moved to amend the relevant laws and systems to eradicate these issues.”