PTC Tries to Control Frequent Transfers of Civil Servants in Key Posts

The Presidential Transition Committee (PTC) has decided to review a plan that will guarantee a minimum term period for key policy-making posts in order to seek specialty of civil servants and consistency of policies.

In addition, the PTC considers a plan that the government will run a human resources pool for senior officials, set a standard of qualification for the posts over level 3, and make officials meet it to be appointed to high-level posts.

The Civil Service Commission (CSC) has proposed the takeover team, on a working-level report, to review such a personnel reform on January 7.

According to the plan suggested by the CSC, it prevents frequent shake-up by keeping officials in key policy-making posts from being transferred within the guaranteed period, while strengthening incentives for long-term office holders.

Under the existing rules, the transfer restriction period of civil servants is a year. In practice, however, it turned out that the rule is not being properly observed. A survey conducted by the CSC last August revealed that, in 20 out of 41 government agencies, actual heads held their offices for less than a year, while directors of departments for far less than a year in 20 agencies.

As a result, the CSC announced early last year that it would push with a plan called ‘minimum term for civil servants of each level.’ The plan was expected to differentiate the transfer restriction period, for example, a year for heads of agencies, a year and a half for directors of departments, and two years for chief clerks. However, it is yet to come to pass.

The commission also suggested that the government run a human resources pool utilizing its personnel database of 72,000 in order to institutionalize the personnel management system and appoint a person out of the pool after conducting a job analysis for each high-level post and setting a standard.

Moreover, it proposed to set up a personnel department in each government agencies that will systematically arrange the appointment as well as evaluation standards and lead the internal reform.

Hyun-Doo Lee ruchi@donga.com