Ministry of Finance and Economy Introduces 'Sohwakhaeng' Reward Program: Weekly Encouragement for Staff with Pizza and Tangerines

Practical Staff Achieve Results on Global Minimum Tax
First Recipients of Ministry's "Sohwakhaeng" Program Selected

The Ministry of Finance and Economy has introduced an internal reward system to discover and promote small acts of proactive administration in day-to-day work. This system targets staff at the level of assistant manager and below, selecting one case each week where an employee has contributed to improving the organizational culture, and provides snacks as a reward.

The Ministry of Finance and Economy selected the first recipient of the "Ministry of Finance and Economy Small but Certain Happiness" on the 8th, providing snacks to junior officers and below who contributed to the organizational culture.

On January 8, the Ministry of Finance and Economy announced the launch of the "Small but Certain Proactive Administration" (Sohwakhaeng) program. Each week, the ministry selects one case that demonstrates proactive work attitudes, problem-solving through communication, improvement of unnecessary practices, or the implementation of administrative innovation ideas, and offers encouragement. Selected employees receive small snacks such as "Sohwakhaeng Pizza" or "Sohwakhaeng Tangerines."

All directors, bureau chiefs, division heads, and team leaders at the ministry can nominate their subordinates as candidates for the Sohwakhaeng program. Through this initiative, the ministry aims to foster a culture of continuous encouragement from supervisors, enhance employees' pride and sense of belonging, and establish an organizational culture centered on mutual respect and communication.

The first recipients of the "Ministry of Finance and Economy Sohwakhaeng" were Assistant Managers Kim Jeonga and Yoo Seonjeong of the New International Tax Norms Division. They were the first to propose that "refundable tax credits," such as the advanced manufacturing production tax credit under the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), should be recognized as exceptions under the global minimum tax. Through multilateral meetings and bilateral consultations, they secured an agreement among OECD member countries. As a result, they helped reduce the additional tax burden for companies expanding overseas in new industries such as secondary batteries and electric vehicles.

On this day, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and Economy Koo Yooncheol encouraged the first Sohwakhaeng recipients, stating, "The Sohwakhaeng program is meaningful in that the organization shares and supports experiences of handling work a bit more proactively, rather than just focusing on grand achievements. We will continue to support the establishment of small acts of proactive administration as a new culture within the ministry."