The Civil Service System in the Republic of Korea

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of the civil service system and public personnel practices in the Korean bureaucracy. The civil service in the Republic of Korea is divided into national and local civil service. The chapter reviews the history of the civil service system in Korea, followed by discussion on civil service structure, recruitment and selection, compensation and benefits, performance evaluation, status of civil servants in society, political appointment, sociopolitical and administrative culture and major civil service reforms. The Korean civil service is broadly classified into career and noncareer services depending on the terms of employment, job classification, and legal status. Korean civil servants are more concerned about living standards than those who work in the private sector. From a sociopsychological standpoint, Korean sociopolitical culture has been characterized by two salient factors: A submissive authoritarian culture deeply affected by Confucianism and Buddhism, and a high degree of cultural homogeneity—ethnic, linguistic, religious, and regional.