The recruitment exam for Grade 9 civil servants will be changed from a knowledge and memorization-based test to a Public Service Aptitude Test (PSAT) that evaluates comprehensive thinking skills, and an early promotion system for Grade 5 will be introduced. Additionally, regular inspections of high-ranking officials’ stock sales and blind trusts will be conducted, and those suspected of violations will be investigated ex officio. The disciplinary period for excessive access behavior (stalking) and the distribution of obscene materials will be extended to 10 years. The Ministry of Personnel Management reported these plans as part of the ‘2026 Major Work Promotion Plan’ on the 17th.
To improve the rigid public service culture, the Ministry will strengthen proactive administration and enhance the effectiveness of protection while increasing the accountability of high-ranking officials to improve the policy experience from the public’s perspective. Measures will be taken to prevent and compensate for work-related accidents, creating a public service environment where civil servants can dedicate themselves to serving the public responsibly. A democratic public service culture will be fostered through dialogue, discussion, and consultation, and principles of autonomy, responsibility, collaboration, and job-centered personnel management will be formalized.
The entire personnel management system, from recruitment to position management, performance evaluation, and rewards, will be restructured to focus on competence and performance, nurturing capable and specialized talents. The Grade 9 exam subjects, which are currently based on knowledge and memorization, will be converted to the PSAT, which evaluates comprehensive thinking skills. The PSAT will be used not only for the open competitive examination but also for the special recruitment examination, and its application will be expanded to the entire public sector. An early promotion system for Grade 5 will be introduced to quickly appoint competent Grade 6 civil servants to mid-level management positions.
The blind trust system will be improved to prevent high-ranking officials from being involved in duties related to their stock holdings. Strict public service ethics will be established to restore public trust by severely punishing passive administration and serious misconduct. Regular inspections of high-ranking officials’ stock sales, blind trusts, and violations of duty involvement prohibitions will be introduced, and ex officio investigations will be conducted for suspected violations. The disciplinary period for excessive access behavior (stalking) and the distribution of obscene materials will be extended to 10 years, and the results of disciplinary actions will be communicated to the victims.