New Public Officials' 'Mistakes' Considered in Disciplinary Actions... Strict Response to Drug Misconduct

Ministry of the Interior and Safety Announces Legislative Notice on Local Public Officials' Disciplinary Regulations
'Gapjil Behavior' Specifically Reflected in Presidential Decree

From now on, mistakes made by new local government officials during their adaptation to work will be taken into consideration when determining the degree of disciplinary action. However, in cases of intentional misconduct related to narcotics, even a single offense will result in exclusion from public office, with strict measures enforced.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on the 29th that it will publicly notify the proposed amendments to the "Regulations on Disciplinary Actions and Appeals for Local Government Officials (Presidential Decree)" and the "Disciplinary Rules for Local Government Officials (Ministry of the Interior and Safety Decree)" starting from the 30th.

According to the amendments, if a new or low-ranking official is subject to disciplinary action due to negligence caused by inexperience, the disciplinary standards will be improved to allow consideration of their work experience when making decisions. The purpose is to support the adaptation process of rookie officials so they can smoothly settle into public service.

In cases where civil service officials are subject to disciplinary action while responding to unjust repeated complaints such as verbal abuse or assault by complainants, or acts that obstruct official duties, the circumstances will be taken into account when deciding disciplinary measures. This is included in the "Measures to Prevent Malicious Complaints and Strengthen Protection for Civil Service Officials" jointly announced by related ministries on the 2nd.

Additionally, a new category of misconduct related to narcotics has been established. If the misconduct is intentional, or if it is severe or gross negligence even without intent, strict measures such as dismissal or removal will be taken. A Ministry of the Interior and Safety official explained, "This is a measure to raise awareness of narcotics-related crimes within public service amid growing public anxiety due to the recent spread of illegal drug markets and the surge in drug offenders."

Furthermore, in accordance with the amendment to the Local Government Officials Act that allows victims of "gapjil" (abuse of power) to be notified of disciplinary results, the presidential decree will specify what constitutes gapjil behavior. This includes unfair acts that cause physical or mental suffering or worsen the working environment.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety plans to collect various opinions from the public and related organizations during the legislative notification period from the 30th to the 9th of next month, reflect them in the amendments, and proceed with the legislative process to implement the changes in the second half of this year.

Ko Gi-dong, Vice Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, stated, "Through this amendment, we will firmly support the adaptation process of new officials, strongly protect civil service officials from malicious complaints, and strictly discipline serious misconduct that causes public distrust."

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