I will eat leisurely and treat you more kindly

Changwon Special City to Pilot Lunch Break Closure at Civil Service Office Starting This November

Changwon City Hall, Gyeongnam.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] Changwon Special City in Gyeongnam will pilot a lunch break closure system for civil service offices starting this November.

The city announced on the 19th that it plans to implement the closure system at 10 selected locations among 55 eup, myeon, dong, and 24 civil service centers.

The selected locations are ▲ Uichang-gu Dong-eup Administrative Welfare Center and Myeongseo 2 Civil Service Center ▲ Seongsan-gu Bansong-dong Administrative Welfare Center and Sinwol Civil Service Center ▲ Masanhappo-gu Jindong-myeon and Hyeondong Administrative Welfare Centers ▲ Masanhoewon-gu Hoeseong-dong Administrative Welfare Center and Naeseo-eup Hogye Civil Service Center ▲ Jinhae-gu Seokdong Administrative Welfare Center and Jaeun Civil Service Center.

According to the city, the lunch break closure system is a growing trend nationwide, including in Gyeongnam, Busan, Gwangju, and Jeonnam.

Article 2, Paragraph 2 of the Local Public Officials Work Regulations stipulates that the daily working hours for public officials are from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., with lunch break from noon to 1 p.m.

A city official stated, “Although civil service work is conducted in shifts during lunch hours for citizens' convenience, it is difficult to rotate duties in civil service centers due to the small number of civil service staff.”

He added, “When employees take annual leave, the remaining staff often have to manage meals with bread or snacks without a lunch break or even work without rest while handling civil service tasks.”

In response, the city will pilot the closure system every Wednesday in November and five days a week in December to ▲ guarantee civil service employees' right to rest during lunch and ▲ provide high-quality civil services.

The decision on full implementation of the closure system will be made after reviewing the pilot results and analyzing its outcomes.

During the pilot period, the city plans to prepare waiting areas and assign guides to accommodate visitors during lunch hours.

The guides will assist with government24 civil service issuance, family relationship certificates, and the use of unmanned civil service issuance machines using dedicated civil service computers.

Tasks that cannot be processed online, such as birth and death registration, seal registration, household move-in viewing, and welfare counseling, will operate by prior appointment to ensure priority processing during later business hours visits.

Mayor Hong Nampyo said, “By fully guaranteeing civil service employees' lunch breaks, we will improve work efficiency and provide faster and more prompt civil services to citizens.”

He added, “We will identify inconveniences and operational shortcomings related to lunch hour visits and do our best to prepare supplementary measures. We ask for cooperation and interest to ensure smooth establishment until full implementation next year.”

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