The Minimum Age for Grade 7 and Above Civil Service Exams Lowered to 18 Starting in 2024...

Resolution on Amendment to Civil Service Examination Regulations at State Council Meeting... Partial Relaxation of Certification Requirements

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] Starting from 2024, the minimum age requirement to take the civil service exam for grade 7 and above will be lowered from the current 20 years old to 18 years old. The elective subjects for the grade 5 open competitive recruitment exam (public service exam) will be abolished, and the validity period of the Korean History Proficiency Test, which was previously five years, will be eliminated. Additionally, the qualification requirements for certain job categories will be relaxed.

The Ministry of Personnel Management announced on the 8th that the amendment to the Civil Service Appointment Examination Decree containing these changes was approved at the Cabinet meeting.

First, the age criterion for taking the national civil service exam for grade 7 and above will change from "20 years or older" to "18 years or older." This adjustment aligns the age requirement with that of exams for grade 8 and below, removing differences by rank and aiming to select talent based on ability rather than age. This also takes into account the recent amendment to the Public Official Election Act, which lowered the eligibility age to run for National Assembly or local government head from 25 to 18 years old.

Exam requirements will also be eased. From the 2025 grade 5 open competitive recruitment exam (Administrative Examination), elective subject tests will be abolished, and the second stage exam will consist of only 3 to 4 mandatory subjects. In the second stage of the Foreign Service Officer Candidate Selection Exam (Foreign Service Exam), the subjects "Integrated Essay Test I and II" will be merged into a single subject. The recognition period for Korean History Proficiency Test scores, which substitute for exam subjects in grade 5 and 7 open competitive exams, will also be removed.

Furthermore, starting in 2024, qualification requirements for certain job category recruitment exams will be relaxed. Currently, for the 6th and 7th grade exams in nine job categories selected through career competitive recruitment?general ship, ship navigation, ship engineering, ship control, general aviation, piloting, maintenance, surveying, and cooking?the qualification requirement will be expanded from "Professional Engineer or Engineer" to include "Industrial Engineer" level. For the 8th and 9th grade exams in surveying and cooking job categories, "Technician" qualifications will also be included.

Kim Seungho, head of the Ministry of Personnel Management, said, "With this revision, the eligibility requirements for civil service exams will be rationally adjusted, and the fairness of the exams is expected to improve. We will continue to pursue policies to realize a competent public service society."

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