Expectations for Internal Promotion After 10 Years... One Month into Appointment, Employee Evaluation is 'Perfect Score'

Forest Service Chief Park Jong-ho held an on-site New Year's ceremony with foresters on the 3rd in Jeonui-myeon, Sejong City. Photo by Forest Service

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] “The report card for the first month after inauguration is a perfect score! However, the overall score will be reassessed after observing until the end of the term.” This is what Forest Service official A said while reflecting on the first month of Park Jong-ho, the head of the Korea Forest Service.

Director Park is a forest administration expert who has honed his skills at the Korea Forest Service for the past 30 years and was appointed as the head of the Korea Forest Service on December 12 last year.

Prior to this, Director Park held key positions such as Director of Forest Resources Division, Counselor in Indonesia, Director of International Cooperation Division, Director of Forest Resources Bureau, Director of Forest Utilization Bureau, Director of Forest Welfare Bureau, and Planning and Coordination Officer, before being promoted to Deputy Director of the Korea Forest Service in October 2018. After passing the 25th Technical Civil Service Examination, he joined the Korea Forest Service and has grown step by step, climbing from the middle to the top layers of the organization.

There is an added significance to Director Park’s growth history. He is one of the few individuals who have been promoted internally from Deputy Director to Director of the Korea Forest Service.

In fact, from the first Director Kim Young-jin (1967?1971) to the current 32nd Director, only five people have been promoted internally to the position of Director. Internal promotions to Director are rare in the Korea Forest Service. Moreover, Director Park’s internal promotion is notable as it is the first in 10 years since the 28th Director Jeong Kwang-soo (2009?2011).

The clear reason why voices within the Korea Forest Service welcome Director Park’s inauguration is precisely this. The ‘symbolism’ of breaking a long-standing silence by producing an internally promoted Director, and the atmosphere of reducing the distance between staff and the Director by walking alongside recent supervisors or seniors who are well-versed in internal affairs and forest policy directions.

In particular, Director Park’s communication efforts have become a driving force for Korea Forest Service officials to trust him. Several officials said, “The greatest strength of the current Director is that he tries to communicate horizontally and empathize with employees without rigidity. For example, at the beginning of this year, instead of holding the New Year ceremony at the headquarters, he gathered Korea Forest Service officials and forestry workers at a forestry site, and during the early-year reporting meetings for each bureau, he called even junior officials to listen carefully to even the smallest voices, which has created an atmosphere that increases trust in the Director.”

However, some said, “While the perception of an internally promoted Director is generally positive, conversely, because he is so familiar with internal affairs, there is also a concern that ‘employees might feel intimidated.’ We hope that (the current Director) will remain a Director who does not lose his initial intention, maintains the horizontal communication relationship he has had so far, and soothes the shortcomings of employees. Therefore, the final report card for the internally promoted Director will be observed until the end of his term...” they joked.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.