During National Disasters, 'Appointment of Public Officials Beyond Quota' Becomes Possible Even Without Vacancies

by Lim Chulyoung

Published 26 Apr.2022 10:01(KST)

Partial Amendment to the Local Public Officials Appointment Decree Approved at the Cabinet Meeting

During National Disasters, 'Appointment of Public Officials Beyond Quota' Becomes Possible Even Without Vacancies

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] In the future, when a national disaster occurs, there will be a way to quickly reinforce local government officials beyond the established quota.

On the 26th, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that the partial amendment to the Local Government Officials Appointment Decree, which allows flexible personnel management during national disasters, was reviewed and approved at the Cabinet meeting. This amendment focuses on quickly supplementing field personnel during large-scale national disasters such as COVID-19 and boosting the morale of officials burdened with heavy workloads.

The amendment first allows newly appointed candidates to be appointed beyond the quota in order to quickly supplement personnel during disasters. Under the current regulations, newly appointed candidates who pass the open competitive examination are appointed according to the order on the list when vacancies occur, and can only be appointed beyond the quota if one year has passed since their final acceptance. However, going forward, in the event of a large-scale national disaster, appointing authorities will be able to promptly appoint new candidates beyond the quota even if there are no vacancies, enabling a more proactive response to disaster situations.

Additionally, when changing promotion and transfer criteria to respond to disaster situations, the changes can be applied immediately without a separate grace period. Under current regulations, changes to promotion and transfer criteria can only be applied one year after the change, so even if the criteria are adjusted to suit disaster situations, they could not be applied immediately. However, going forward, the revised criteria can be applied immediately to match disaster situations, and officials who directly respond to disasters such as COVID-19 can be granted immediate special benefits (incentives) such as additional points.

Minister Jeon Hae-cheol said, “Through the amendment of the Local Government Officials Appointment Decree, it will be possible to conduct active and flexible personnel management tailored to the conditions of local governments even during national disasters,” and added, “In particular, I hope that the rapid reinforcement of disaster response personnel will alleviate the difficulties of local government officials who have been suffering from long-term heavy workloads and provide an opportunity for recharging.”