Civil Servants Take Action Over Persistently Low Pay... "Party and Government Must Devise Measures"

Public officials are expressing dissatisfaction by engaging in collective action over the recently decided civil servant wage increase rate. Considering the previously low wage increase rates and the ongoing high inflation trend, low-ranking public officials argue that a realistic wage setting is necessary.

The Korea Public Officials Labor Union Federation (Gongnochoeng) and the National Public Officials Labor Union (Gongmuwon Nojo) held a press conference at 11 a.m. on the 31st in front of the People Power Party Central Party Office in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, urging an increase in public officials' wages and election duty allowances.
Photo by Gong Byung-sun mydillon@

The Korean Government Employees' Union Federation (Gongnochong) and the National Government Employees' Union (Gongmuwon Nojo) held a press conference at 11 a.m. on the 31st in front of the People Power Party headquarters in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, urging an increase in civil servant wages and election duty allowances. Seok Hyun-jung, Chairperson of Gongnochong, stated, "The labor of public officials is not free. When the future of public sector workers disappears, the future of the public service society also disappears," adding, "Do not kill frontline public officials whose wages are below the minimum wage." Jeon Ho-il, Chairperson of the Government Employees' Union, emphasized, "Currently, public officials are leaving the public service due to low pay," and "Political parties, which should be most sensitive to public sentiment, must respond to the anger on the ground, and the People Power Party must answer this." After the press conference, they plan to hold a one-person protest in front of the People Power Party headquarters.

On the 26th, the Wage Council decided on a wage increase rate of 2.3% for public officials at grade 5 and above, and 3.1% for those at grade 6 and below. This is relatively higher compared to the increase rates of 0.9% in 2021, 1.4% last year, and 1.7% this year. Nevertheless, low-ranking public officials still complain that their monthly salaries are miserably low. In particular, the monthly salary of a grade 9 public official is even lower than the minimum wage. The minimum wage for next year is set to increase by 2.5% (240 won) from this year to 9,860 won. However, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government Employees' Union, the monthly salary of a newly appointed grade 9 public official in Seoul this year is 1,700,800 won, making a 3.1% increase grossly insufficient.

The rising prices are also a burden. Last year, consumer prices rose by 5.1%, increasing the cost of living, but salaries remain unchanged, effectively amounting to a pay cut. Jeon Mo, a 30-year-old female grade 9 public official working in Seoul, said, "Considering the recently rising perceived inflation, I think public official wages should be increased further," adding, "It is still not easy to live independently in Seoul without relying on my parents."

The dissatisfaction of low-ranking public officials has led to resignations. According to the office of Ok Jae-eun, a People Power Party member of the Seoul Metropolitan Council, the resignation rate of public officials with less than five years of service was 3.4% in 2013, rising sharply to 4.7% in 2019 and 8.6% last year. The number of applicants for the grade 9 public official open competitive exam this year was 165,524, down by 43,998 from the previous year, continuing the trend of avoiding public service jobs. Kim Jeong-chae, Secretary General of Gongnochong, said, "More than 10,000 public officials who could not endure high inflation and other factors leave every year, but the ruling party and government have not prepared any measures," adding, "Starting from the regular National Assembly session in September, we will support legislative activities to improve the treatment of public officials."

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