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The debate that has been circulating lately among the civil servants who worked together with the Jae‑kyung Department is centered on “promotion for class 58” and the assignment of government officials. Word has spread that a clerk from the Yeseon Office, a member of Class 58, was promoted to a senior position; however, the Jae‑kyung Department still lists only some members from Classes 56 and 57 in its promotion roster. This view—that these two departments will have differing speeds of promotion—has already been set in place.
On the other hand, Yeseon Office is pursuing a strategy that eases the promotion system by making use of newly formed “new‑member” and “research” units for assignments. According to the departmental policy, Yeseon Office promoted nine officials from the civil service on the 14th day, expanding its promotion list up through Class 58. This contrasts with the Jae‑kyung Department, whose promotion list lags a step behind. When Yeseon Office assigns an official to another department, that person must serve in the external agency for at least one year and then fill the vacancy after going through approval; this arrangement allows for promotion within the same office, so officials can be promoted after long‑term service outside before returning to their home agency.
As new organizations continue to form, Yeseon Office’s “expansion of personnel” push becomes stronger. The government has budgeted 26 billion 7 million won for eight agencies—New Member Unit, Research Team, and the General Affairs Department among others—and each organization needs its own staff, so they receive officials from various central departments. This is a structure that connects new units with existing offices to avoid duplication of work. When forming new member or research teams, one must check whether tasks overlap with existing offices, and the use of the promotion system in central agencies should be highlighted in internal reviews.
Kim Ik‑hwan reporter <lovepen@hankyung.com