"The Ones Who Know Are Worse"... Former Civil Servants Turn Into Malicious Complainants

Former Supervisors Repeatedly File Complaints
Requests for Hiring Acquaintances Also Common
8 out of 10 Civil Servants Suffer from Malicious Complaints

Kim, a 29-year-old civil servant in her eighth year of service, recently endured a nightmarish week. This was because the former section chief, who retired two years ago, continuously filed complaints claiming that banners installed by the local government were illegal. The former chief, who was always unavailable when called, eventually went so far as to report the entire department to the police for alleged dereliction of duty. Kim sighed deeply, saying, "When a former civil servant who knows every loophole in the law and procedures turns into a malicious complainant, there is no answer."

Current civil servants are increasingly troubled by malicious complaints from former colleagues. There are concerns that these ex-officials exploit their knowledge of administrative system weaknesses and their relational authority as seniors.

According to related local governments on October 21, Park, a 30-year-old civil servant in her third year, is currently being harassed by complaints from her former team leader, who recently retired. After retirement, the team leader became the head of the village and has been persistently filing complaints through official channels such as the National Petition Portal and information disclosure requests. Park said, "He was a respected team leader, but since becoming the village head, he has become someone to avoid. I understand that he feels he must do something as the village head, but it has gone too far."

The reason their complaints are more exhausting than those from ordinary malicious complainants is because they thoroughly understand how the administrative system works. They file repeated information disclosure requests on issues that are difficult to answer and psychologically isolate the staff in charge. Furthermore, they cleverly mix attacks using legitimate procedures with undue pressure based on their former authority, making it even harder for the organization to respond officially.

It is also common for them to demand exceptional treatment by citing their past experience. Lee, a 27-year-old civil servant in her second year, said, "There was a former civil servant who objected when I tried to impose a fine, saying, 'I've been a civil servant, so I know you can cancel this fine.' At first, I explained that I would proceed according to the procedures, but he continued to refuse to cooperate and even became angry."

There are also cases where they make personnel requests. Kim, a 32-year-old civil servant in her eleventh year, said, "When hiring temporary staff, there were many cases where retired civil servants I didn't even know pressured current supervisors to select a specific person. I ultimately refused due to concerns about fairness, but the very fact that these unfair demands are repeated is extremely stressful."

The damage ultimately falls on the citizens. According to a survey conducted in June and July by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission of Korea among 1,097 civil servants handling complaints, 86.3% (947 people) reported suffering from malicious complaints, indicating a serious situation. While this figure includes all types of malicious complaints, current civil servants point out that attacks by former officials who know the system inside out lead to greater administrative inefficiency and psychological harm, inevitably delaying services for citizens who genuinely need help.

Lee Byunghoon, Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Chung-Ang University, said, "Strengthening overall measures against malicious complaints, such as disclosing the identity of malicious complainants, could be an effective solution to curb malicious complaints from former civil servants, who tend to avoid revealing their identities."

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