KGEU Welcomes Lee Jaemyung Administration’s National Policy Tasks on Civil Service Reform

“Progress Reflected in Political Rights and Retirement Age Extension”

With the inclusion of policy tasks focused on change and reform within the civil service in the 123rd set of national policy tasks confirmed by the Lee Jaemyung administration, the Korean Government Employees’ Union Federation (KGEU) has welcomed the move.

On September 16, the government finalized a total of 123 national policy tasks during a Cabinet meeting. Among these, the implementation of a “vibrant civil service” and the “realization of respect for labor and guarantee of fundamental labor rights” have drawn particular attention. The new policy tasks reflect longstanding demands from the KGEU, including the guarantee of political basic rights, extension of the retirement age, improvement of civil servants’ treatment, and the creation of a motivating work environment.

On September 17, the KGEU issued a statement, saying, “The establishment of a merit-based personnel system, the guarantee of political activities unrelated to official duties, the renaming of ‘Workers’ Day’ to ‘Labor Day,’ and the realization of fundamental labor rights for civil servants are significant advances that enhance the democracy and professionalism of the civil service.” The federation especially highlighted that improvements in the treatment of junior and frontline civil servants, the creation of a work environment friendly to child-rearing, and the introduction of procedures to refuse illegal or unjust orders reflect the voices from the field.

The federation also stated, “We will actively cooperate to ensure the concrete implementation and institutionalization of these national policy tasks without wavering. At the same time, we will pursue both dialogue and action to achieve: ▲ legal and institutional reforms to guarantee civil servants’ political basic rights, ▲ the elimination of pension income gaps through retirement age extension, and ▲ the full enactment of the Civil Servants’ Remuneration Committee into law.”

The federation emphasized, “The confirmation of these national policy tasks marks a valuable starting point for protecting the rights and interests of civil servant workers and for innovation within the civil service. We will spare no effort in monitoring and cooperating to ensure the government’s promised reforms are implemented without delay, and together with our 100,000 members, we declare our commitment to leading the way in building a diligent civil service for the people and a fair and vibrant Republic of Korea.”