'Widespread Poor Attendance' Among Social Service Agents... Management Blind Spots Resurface

Recently, controversy over service negligence by Song Minho, a member of the idol group WINNER who served as a social service agent in Mapo-gu, Seoul, has brought the attendance issues of social service agents into the spotlight. There are calls for strengthened management and supervision of social service agents, including the introduction of an electronic clock-in/out system and the expansion of personnel responsible for social service agents.

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According to the 'Status of Social Service Agents' Service Obligation Violations' submitted by the Military Manpower Administration to Rep. Yoo Yong-won of the People Power Party on the 9th, unauthorized tardiness among social service agents in 2023 was 1,178 cases, slightly up from 1,019 cases in 2020. The number of service absentees, including unauthorized absences, also increased by 27.4%, from 853 in 2020 to 1,087 in 2023.

Under the current regulations for managing social service agents, the command, management, and supervision of their service conditions are assigned to the 'Social Service Agent Supervising Officer.' The supervising officer is responsible for regularly checking the job performance of social service agents and handling administrative tasks necessary for service management, such as personal information management. Additionally, they play roles in resolving grievances and providing career counseling for social service agents.

On the ground, there are voices pointing out blind spots in management and supervision due to the large number of social service agents assigned to each supervising officer. The Military Manpower Administration's regulations do not specify the number of social service agents that one supervising officer should manage, so it is common for one supervising officer to manage all social service agents assigned to their institution.

In fact, according to a Military Manpower Administration survey as of November last year, there were only 114 supervising officers, while the number of social service agents was counted at 46,490. This means one supervising officer manages approximately 408 social service agents. A Military Manpower Administration official said, "We are aware of the recent controversy regarding the attendance of social service agents," adding, "We are discussing with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety about expanding supervising officers and are working to improve the efficiency of managing the agents."

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Recently, Mr. A (29), who completed his service as a social service agent at a social welfare facility, said, "The attendance records of social service agents are managed by the agents first manually recording in a ledger, and then the supervising officer gives the final signature. In reality, it is difficult for one supervising officer to check and verify the attendance records of all agents," adding, "I believe there are definitely some who take advantage of this to falsify their attendance records."

Even if social service agents work negligently, there are no proper countermeasures. Unlike industrial technical personnel who can be reassigned to active duty or social service roles upon poor performance, social service agents are legally prohibited from re-enlistment, which may lower their sense of responsibility regarding service negligence. Article 89 of the Military Service Act stipulates that the service period of social service agents can be extended by up to 35 days for service negligence, and those who leave their service without justifiable reason for more than 8 days can be sentenced to imprisonment of up to 3 years. However, cases where social service agents receive actual prison sentences are rare, such as a 20-year-old social service agent who left his service location 81 times and was sentenced to 1 year in prison with 2 years probation last September.

A Military Manpower Administration official explained, "By 2027, we plan to introduce and operate electronic clock-in/out systems in all institutions and will continue efforts to expand the number of supervising officers," adding, "Furthermore, we will strengthen management and supervision through enhanced training for social service agent supervising officers and unannounced inspections."

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