Applicants who have long-term residency in a specific region are expected to receive bonus points when applying for civil servant positions that require local assignment.

Choi Dong-seok, Minister of Personnel Management, announced the key policy implementation plan for the second half of the year centered on this initiative during a presidential briefing held at the Blue House today (August 5).

To support local regions and young people, the Ministry of Personnel Management (MPM) decided to grant bonus points to long-term residents in local areas during civil servant recruitment and to gradually expand the scale of region-restricted recruitment for Grade 9 open competitive examinations.

In particular, the ministry decided to establish a local bonus point system that grants an additional 3% bonus to individuals who have resided in the target region for 15 years or more when recruiting civil servants for local assignments.

To lower the entry barriers to public service for young people, the scope of recognized experience during mid-career recruitment will be expanded to include private business experience such as starting a business, as well as related work experience acquired before obtaining certifications. Additionally, opportunities to take exams will be granted to prospective degree holders.

As measures to establish official ethics, the screening of virtual assets and unlisted stocks held by public officials will be strengthened, and those subject to asset disclosure will also be required to disclose the ticker names and quantities of single-stock exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

Disciplinary actions related to passive administration and hate speech will be reinforced, and a legal basis for mandatory drug testing for public officials handling narcotics will be newly established.

Respect and honors for public officials injured or killed in the line of duty will also be strengthened, with plans to designate a "Public Official Day for Line-of-Duty Accidents" to commemorate the dedication of officials who suffered occupational injuries.

Furthermore, under the goal of securing more than 1,200 expert public officials by 2028, the ministry plans to expand specialized personnel in fields such as artificial intelligence, patent technology examination, and industrial safety inspection and investigation.

Efforts will also be made to recruit top-tier private sector talent by expanding open positions to more than 500 by 2030 and supporting government ministries in setting salaries comparable to the private sector.

In addition, as announced in the year-end briefing last year, plans to raise the starting salary for Grade 9 officials to the level of 3 million won per month by next year, introduce an early promotion system, and establish legal grounds for involuntary demotion (appointing officials to lower ranks than their current positions) in the event of failing senior civil service qualification reviews will be pursued with a sense of urgency.

(Photo: Yonhap News)