In Line with President Lee's Policy of Workforce Expansion... 356 Civil Servant Positions to Be Added

President Lee Presides Over Cabinet Meeting on the 17th

Staffing Quotas Expanded for 23 Ministries and Agencies

118 New Positions at Fair Trade Commission, 91 at Korea Coast Guard

A plan to significantly expand the staffing quotas of government ministries and affiliated agencies has passed the Cabinet meeting. This is a result of each ministry requesting a substantial increase in its staffing quota, in line with President Lee Jaemyung's policy direction to boldly expand the workforce when necessary.

On March 17, the government, during a Cabinet meeting presided over by President Lee in Sejong, deliberated and approved a partial amendment to expand the staffing quotas of 23 ministries and affiliated organizations. As a result of this amendment, the total number of new government positions will increase by 356.

The Fair Trade Commission is the ministry with the largest increase, securing a total of 118 new positions. This includes 14 positions to strengthen investigations into technology theft from small and medium-sized enterprises, 13 positions for the expedited investigation of unfair trade practices, and 10 positions for the prompt review and decision-making regarding cases of illegal joint acts. In particular, to reinforce investigations into unfair subcontracting practices in the new industries sector and the manufacturing and construction sectors, the commission will add 9 positions for each field.

President Lee Jae-myung is reviewing materials at the Cabinet meeting held at the Government Complex Sejong on March 17, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News

The Korea Coast Guard will increase its staff by 91, making it the second largest expansion. The Coast Guard announced that it will add 37 positions to ensure smooth operations at its affiliated Regional Maritime Police Agency's Vessel Traffic Service Centers. Additionally, it plans to add 41 positions for the operation of newly introduced large patrol vessels and 10 positions for the operation of new coastal rescue boats.

The Ministry of Justice will expand its staff by 69. This includes 39 positions related to the operation of the Wonju Correctional Institution and 20 positions to strengthen the response to juvenile crime through intensive management of juveniles on probation.

Other increases include 16 additional staff for the National Police Agency (for investigations of fake videos and sexual exploitation crimes), 14 for the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (improving unfair trade practices), 9 for the National Tax Service (dedicated to investigating online tax evasion), 7 for the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (strengthening knowledge information management), and 6 for the Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy (expanding the national power grid infrastructure). There were also small increases such as 2 for the Ministry of National Defense (international cooperation on the defense industry supply chain), 1 for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (dedicated work on incidents and accidents at overseas diplomatic missions), and 1 for the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (strengthening civil-military cooperation on advanced technologies).

Since the launch of the Lee Jaemyung administration, the number of public sector employees has steadily increased. At the end of last year, a Cabinet meeting presided over by President Lee passed a major legal amendment to increase central government officials by more than 2,000, mainly due to the Ministry of Employment and Labor significantly increasing the number of labor inspectors. In addition, the government will hire up to 28,000 regular employees at public institutions this year—the largest number since 2019 during the Moon Jaein administration.

This is closely tied to President Lee's governing philosophy. When the National Tax Service reported last year that it planned to add 500 staff for tax delinquency management, President Lee said, "That is too timid. It could be increased to 10,000 to 20,000," ordering a larger expansion. At the January 27 Cabinet meeting, he also remarked, "The government should set an example as an employer," and pointed out, "Is it acceptable to employ someone for 1 year and 11 months just to avoid making them a regular employee?"

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