A personnel system overhaul is being pursued to widen the path into public service for young people who have lived in a region for a long time and to raise the starting salary of Level 9 civil servants to around 3 million won per month. Under the second-half major work plan for 2026 announced by the Ministry of Personnel Management last August, the government has set four core tasks: expanding the hiring of regional talent, lowering barriers to public service entry for young people, fostering AI specialists, and strengthening a performance-based personnel system.

■ 3% Extra Points for 15+ Years of Regional Residence

The most notable change is preferential treatment in hiring for long-term residents. The government is pursuing the creation of a system that grants an additional 3% of points to applicants who have lived in a region for 15 years or more in civil servant recruitment that presumes service in that region. It also plans to gradually expand region-based recruitment in Level 9 open competitive hiring through 2028. The recommendation requirements for regional talent recommendation hiring at Levels 7 and 9 will also be eased, with the aim of broadening opportunities for local youth to enter public service.

■ Startup and Self-Employment Experience to Be Recognized... Barriers for Young Applicants Lowered

The scope of experience recognized for young applicants will also broaden. In experience-based competitive hiring, experience from founding a startup or working as a sole proprietor will be recognized, and relevant work experience gained before obtaining a certification is to be reflected if certain conditions are met. Eligibility requirements will also be eased so that those expecting to obtain degrees can apply, expanding pathways into public service for young people with practical experience.

■ Level 9 Starting Salary of 3 Million Won Per Month... Onboarding and Employment Leave Also to Be Introduced

The raise in Level 9 starting salaries is also drawing attention. The government is pursuing a plan to raise next year's Level 9 starting pay to around 3 million won per month. New Level 7 and 9 civil servants will be offered an onboarding program combining basic training and mentoring to help them adapt to their organizations, and an employment leave system will be introduced so that rank-and-file civil servants can work at international organizations.

■ More Than 1,200 Specialist Civil Servants, Including in AI, by 2028

AI stands out as a key area in fostering specialist civil servants. The government aims to secure more than 1,200 specialist civil servants by 2028 in fields requiring expertise such as artificial intelligence, patent examination, and industrial safety supervision and investigation. It will create a specialist career track leading from Grade 6 to specialist and chief specialist positions, and establish a government-wide AI talent management system.

Entry of private-sector experts into public service will also expand. Open positions in fields requiring expertise will be increased to more than 500 by 2030, and measures such as the special provision allowing autonomous salary determination will be used to offer private-sector-level compensation.

■ Early Promotion System for Grade 6 and New Competitive Positions... Shift to Performance-Based Promotion

The promotion system will also change to center on performance and competency. An early promotion system will allow outstanding Grade 6 civil servants to advance quickly to Grade 5, and new Grade 6 competitive positions will give Grade 7 civil servants faster growth opportunities.

AI-utilization training will also expand. Learning expense accounts will be introduced so civil servants can voluntarily use AI subscription services and training programs, and practical AI education and joint training will be provided for all civil servants.

■ Stronger Protection for Proactive Administration... Legal Basis for Demotion of Unfit Senior Officials Also to Be Prepared

Mechanisms protecting proactive administration by public officials will be strengthened. A system will be established to provide legal consultation and litigation support when legal disputes arise in the course of work, and the dissemination of exemplary cases of proactive administration and agency-by-agency advisory services will be expanded.

Accountability for performance will also be strengthened. The scope of performance-based pay will be widened, and the government will pursue establishing legal grounds for discretionary demotion when senior officials are judged unfit in suitability reviews.

■ Tighter Screening of Virtual Assets and Unlisted Shares... Disciplinary Standards to Become Stricter

In the area of public service ethics, screening of virtual assets and unlisted shares will be strengthened, and plans include disclosing more detailed holdings of single-stock ETFs by those subject to asset disclosure. Disciplinary standards for passive administration and hate speech will be strengthened, and grounds for testing civil servants who handle narcotics will also be prepared.

■ Expanded Special Compensation for Families of Those Killed in the Line of Duty... Mental Health Centers to Reach 16 by 2029

Support for civil servants injured on duty will also expand. The scope of special compensation for families of civil servants killed while performing hazardous duties will be broadened, and dedicated managers will be assigned to injured civil servants to provide continuous support from treatment and rehabilitation through return to work. Civil servant mental health centers will expand from the current 11 to 16 by 2029. A separate prevention and support system is also being pursued for occupations with high mental health risks, such as police and firefighters.

■ Implementation Timing and Scope Must Be Confirmed Against Final Decisions

This personnel reform plan was announced in August, and institutionalization of some tasks and follow-up procedures are currently under way. In particular, the extra points for long-term regional residents and the raise of Level 9 starting salaries to around 3 million won per month are cited as policies that aspiring civil service exam takers and young people will feel most directly. However, since establishing the regional extra-point system and some personnel reforms require revisions to relevant laws and detailed implementation standards, the actual timing and scope of application must be confirmed against final decisions.

[This article was reconstructed for the current point in time based on the second-half major work plan announced by the Ministry of Personnel Management in August 2026. Some policies are at the implementation or review stage, and actual implementation timing and details may change. Matters related to civil servant recruitment and compensation should be confirmed against the latest announcements and finalized standards of the relevant agencies. AI assistance was used in writing and restructuring the article.]