Civil servants on key exchange posts, private-sector liaison roles to get up to 1-year promotion credit

Civil servants who successfully lead key government projects through cross-sector personnel exchanges between central ministries, local governments and private companies will be eligible for fast-track promotions under new rules.

The Ministry of Interior and Safety said the revised Local Public Officials Appointment Decree was approved at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday and takes effect Sunday.

The revision stems from work by a task force on strengthening civil service capacity, announced at Cheong Wa Dae in April. It aims to boost public-sector competitiveness and invigorate local economies by offering incentives to civil servants assigned to newly created "core personnel exchange" posts — designed to address regional issues such as major national projects — and to "private-sector liaison officers" who support local investment attraction efforts.

The centerpiece of the revision is a concrete reward system for exchange officers.

Civil servants serving in core personnel exchange posts or as private-sector liaison officers will have up to half of their exchange period — capped at one year — deducted from the time required for promotion.

Those who serve in such posts for more than a year and achieve outstanding results will also be eligible for special accelerated promotion.

A benefit previously available only to personnel exchange officers — full credit for exchange-period service when calculating eligibility for the "senior-treatment civil servant" designation — will be extended to private-sector liaison officers as well.

The senior-treatment civil servant system grants civil servants who have fulfilled the years of service required for promotion but have been unable to advance — due to limited vacancies or other reasons — treatment and allowances equivalent to the next rank up.

The revision also moves to eliminate concerns about disadvantages in performance evaluations and bonuses.

Personnel exchange officers will be assessed in a separate evaluation pool from regular civil servants, guaranteeing them a minimum rating of "excellent" in work performance assessments and a minimum "A" grade in performance bonuses.

A legal basis will also be established to allow special performance bonuses for top-rated officers.

The open competitive and career-based hiring systems for local civil servants will also undergo significant reforms to keep pace with the times.

To reduce the burden on exam candidates and improve compatibility across hiring tests, the Korean history subject in the Grade 8 open competitive exam will be replaced starting in 2027 with the Korean History Proficiency Test — at Level 3 or above — bringing it in line with the Grade 9 exam.

For career-based exams in fields where up-to-date experience is critical, the required years of experience may be reduced by up to one year. The grade ceiling for the talent recommendation hiring program, previously limited to Grade 8 and below, will be raised to Grade 7.

The revision also lowers barriers for economically disadvantaged young people seeking to enter public service. Youth who have aged out of the child welfare system — including those designated as independent-living youth and those whose protection period has been extended — will be newly added to the low-income reserved quota for the Grade 9 open competitive exam. The minimum eligibility period for basic livelihood recipients and single-parent family support recipients will also be shortened from two years to one, strengthening practical support.

Interior and Safety Minister Yun Ho-jung said the measures are intended to help drive more successful outcomes in large-scale national projects by offering exceptional incentives to civil servants participating through project-based personnel exchanges. "The ministry will continue to actively reform the local personnel system to expand openness and inject vitality into the civil service," he said.