Seoul City Officials' Business Trip Expenses Reimbursed at Actual Cost (T-money App Payment)...Union Opposes 'Desk Administration'

Seoul City Hall and District Employees to Receive Actual Expenses for Business Trip Allowances via 'T-MONEY App Payment'... Seoul HR Department Collecting Opinions from 25 Districts to Introduce Departmental Total Overtime Pay System... Integrated Union Gangnam Branch Chief Kwon Soon-pyo Opposes, Demanding Actual Expense Compensation

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Seoul City’s plan to pay employees, including those in autonomous districts, for business travel expenses on a ‘reimbursement basis’ through ‘T-MONEY app payments’ covering only actual usage, and to introduce a total overtime allowance system at the department level, has sparked backlash.

Seoul City has requested autonomous districts to submit opinions on overtime and business travel allowances by the 21st, stating that it is preparing improvement measures.

In response, autonomous districts argued that local community centers frequently have business trips within their areas, many of which are inaccessible by public transportation such as buses or taxis. They pointed out that during hot summers, employees often need to drink cold beverages to cool down while walking through alleys, and in cold winters, there should be reimbursement-level compensation for a warm cup of coffee shared with colleagues.

They also criticized that if a total overtime system is implemented by department, employees in major district office departments will receive both performance evaluations and full overtime pay, while those in civil service departments and local community centers will be left empty-handed.

On the 15th, Kwon Sun-pyo, head of the Gangnam-gu branch of the National Integrated Public Officials Labor Union <photo>, posted an article titled ‘Overtime! Business Travel Allowance! Ignoring it is a Big Mistake’ on the union bulletin board, urging all employees to participate.

Branch Chief Kwon said, “Currently, the personnel team’s transfers between districts and neighborhoods lack fairness and order of assignment, and this will cause a ‘rich get richer, poor get poorer’ situation between departments.” He added, “Therefore, the Gangnam-gu branch of the Integrated Union plans to meet with the Mayor of Seoul through the ‘Seoul Regional Labor Union Federation,’ formed in April with the Seoul City Hall union and autonomous district unions, to block Seoul City’s unreasonable allowance reforms,” urging active participation in the survey.

He also stated, “The media has consistently portrayed the fraudulent receipt of overtime allowances in some local governments as corruption throughout the entire public service, neglecting the salary system, its problems, and necessary improvements,” adding, “We are tired of patchwork solutions like ‘blind men touching an elephant.’”

For reference, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s Local System Division is conducting a survey on business travel expenses by collecting 263,726 cases nationwide from 44 local government workplaces, analyzing travel patterns such as travel time, destination, distance, and expenditure. They plan to prepare improvement measures by August and expand them nationwide.

Overtime allowances are being reviewed by the Ministry of Personnel Management (Performance Pay Division), with the Public Officials Salary Committee currently discussing improvement plans. These are also expected to be prepared by August, with pilot implementation and nationwide expansion under consideration.

The union said, “Although the survey announced by the personnel team seems simple and short-term, behind it lies a huge crisis and urgent reality for our families and us.”

They concluded, “Seoul City’s uniform control, which excessively infringes on the autonomy of districts and ignores reality through desk-bound administration, must end now,” adding, “Those who sleep on their rights will not be protected.”

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