[The Editors' Verdict] The Crisis of 'Neulgong' Civil Servants

After concluding the July 2nd general struggle resolution rally, public servant union leaders are marching toward the front of Seoul City Hall, where the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions workers' rally is taking place.

"How long will we continue to endure wages that don't even meet the minimum wage?" As news spread that the government plans to freeze civil servant salaries next year, sighs and complaints erupted among civil servants. While prices and wages are rising across the board, only civil servant wages remain stagnant. The civil servant salary increase rate peaked at 3.5% in 2017, then fell below 2%, rising only 0.9% in 2021 and 1.4% in 2022. When the economy is struggling, the public sector must lead in sharing the burden, and when the economy is good, it must also lead in preventing excessive wage increases. Although the civil servants' union demands a 7% raise, realistically, this figure is unattainable.

The number of civil servants is approximately 1,163,000 (750,000 national, 380,000 local). Under the Moon Jae-in administration alone, this increased by about 133,000. One might think that more people would mean less work, but that is not the case. A civil servant in Sejong City who recently took an extreme step reportedly had to do the work of three people alone. They suffered from heavy workloads and significant workplace stress. Such news is not new but is increasing rather than decreasing.

The Yoon Suk-yeol administration announced plans to regulate the total number of civil servants and reduce the workforce by 5% over five years through natural attrition and personnel reallocation, cutting 1% annually. Current employees have risen up, saying, "How can there be layoffs or cuts when we are already understaffed?" Meanwhile, those preparing for civil service exams worry, "Will civil servant recruitment decrease and competition increase?"

Civil servants are called ‘cheolbapttong’ (iron rice bowl) and ‘neulgong’ (lifelong public servant) because of the two major advantages: job stability and retirement security. Conversely, they are also called ‘gongbok’ (public servant, literally ‘public servant’ or ‘head servant’) to emphasize the duty to serve the public well. The atmosphere in the civil service has changed because the advantages of being a ‘neulgong’ have disappeared, leaving only the burdens of being a ‘gongbok.’ In summary, ▲status is stable but work is unstable and stress is increasing, ▲salaries and pensions are lower than those of previous senior civil servants and the gap with the private sector is widening, ▲there is no stable future unless one works until retirement or rises to a high position, as pensions are insufficient. Complaints arise that "the net pay for a Grade 9, Step 1 civil servant (1.61 million KRW) is less than the minimum wage (1.91 million KRW based on 40 hours per week)." The recent competition ratio for local Grade 9 positions fell below 10 to 1 for the first time in history.

Kyung-ho Lee, Head of Social Affairs Department

According to the 2021 Public Service Life Survey conducted by the Korea Institute of Public Administration with 4,133 respondents, the score for the item "I am willing to perform any job to remain in this organization" was 2.93 out of 5, a significant drop from 3.09 in 2017. Regarding turnover intention, those in their 20s scored 3.38, while those aged 50 and above scored 2.60. The most common reason for intending to leave was ‘low salary’ (34.7%), followed by ‘mismatch with values or aptitude’ (14.0%), ‘excessive workload’ (13.5%), and ‘lack of fulfillment’ (10.5%). Kim Jae-hyun, Youth Vice Chairman of the Civil Servants’ Union, recently said at a protest, "Young civil servants are giving up on owning a home, their dreams of public service, and even our future. If we retreat, there is no future." A society where all young people rush to become civil servants has no future, but a society that forces sacrifice on civil servants has no future either. President Yoon Suk-yeol is encouraged to engage in dialogue with the civil servants’ union and MZ generation and 30s-40s civil servants.

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