'Proactive public service enabled Korea's quick response to COVID-19'

Minister of Personnel Management Hwang Seo-chong speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at the Government Complex Seoul, Nov. 9. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

By Jun Ji-hye

Korea's response to the COVID-19 outbreak has been garnering worldwide attention for its significant testing and diagnostic capability, along with its real-time, transparent information system.

The country's "proactive public service system" was behind this, said Minister of Personnel Management Hwang Seo-chong, noting that the system has enabled government officials to respond to the public health crisis more quickly and in a decisive manner.

"The proactive public service system was officially created in August last year in a bid to substantially improve passive behavior in government offices and expand a proactive work attitude," Hwang said during a recent interview with The Korea Times on the occasion of the sixth anniversary of the establishment of the ministry.

"The system is aimed at giving protection and preferential treatment such as special promotions to proactive public officials, while holding those taking a passive attitude responsible."

Many civil servants, in the past, hesitated to make decisions and push for new things because of a fear of failure that could bring about disciplinary action. Under the proactive public service system, officials, who think and act ahead and get approval from the proactive public service committee, can receive immunity from responsibility even if their work does not produce the expected results.

"Operating community treatment centers for COVID-19 patients with minor symptoms was the result of this system as it enabled the Ministry of Health and Welfare to make a prompt decision and take appropriate measures in time," Hwang said.

The country has operated community treatment centers as temporary hospitals to treat patients with minor symptoms, in preparation for a lack of beds for critically ill patients amid the prolonged coronavirus pandemic.

When health officials came up with the idea of operating such centers that make use of training institutes and dormitories owned by the government and private companies, they faced difficulties as there were no precedents and relevant regulations.

"The health ministry promptly sought approval from the proactive public service committee and took measures to offer hospital-like treatment to patients at community treatment centers," Hwang said. "This would have been impossible if there had not been the proactive system."

The system has also enabled operating drive-thru virus testing centers and quick approval of COVID-19 testing kits here.

The Ministry of Personnel Management has also given efforts to support and protect health officials who have been on emergency duty for months since January when the outbreak began here.

Measures included improvements in overtime payments or time off in lieu.

The minister noted his ministry has received an increasing number of inquiries from other countries on Korea's personnel administration measures and experiences to overcome the public health crisis.

In June, the ministry hosted an online seminar in cooperation with the Astana Civil Service Hub, in which it shared its COVID-19 response experiences such as the expansion of working from home and contactless education, with about 10 countries including Ukraine and Mongolia, as well as international organizations including the United Nations Development Programme.

"We will continue to enhance international cooperation not only in COVID-19 responses but also in official development assistance, and expand joint studies with international organizations," Hwang said.

Openness and professionalism

The Ministry of Personnel Management was launched on Nov. 19, 2014 amid growing calls for strengthening openness and professionalism in the public sector following the Sewol ferry disaster on April 16 in that year.

At the time, the government faced mounting criticism for its bungled management of one of the country's worst maritime disasters, in which the 6,800-ton Sewol ferry sank in waters off the nation's southwestern coast and more than 300 people died.

Hwang said the ministry set up an independent committee dedicated to recruiting management-level officials from the private sector in 2014, while enhancing benefits offered to those people, to strengthen openness in the public sector.

As a result, the number of private-turned-public officials at the management level has increased from 64 to 207 for the past six years.

In a bid to boost professionalism, the ministry has operated the specialized public official system since 2017, which allows some officials to work in the same area permanently, unlike the ordinary system in which civil servants rotate among various posts regularly every two or three years.

Currently, 225 specialized officials are working in 11 areas, such as food safety and weather forecasting, at 10 government offices.

"The Ministry of Personnel Management has made consistent efforts to realize a straight, clean public sector, and nurture competent public officials," Hwang said. "On top of that, the ministry has focused on promoting civil service ethics to restore public trust."

He said the ministry will continue to prepare for rapid changes in many different aspects of life, caused by the COVID-19 crisis, digital transformation and demographic changes.

"It has become more important than ever for the public sector to secure the capability of preemptively responding to changes," Hwang said. "Toward that end, civil servants should continue to learn new things and develop themselves. This is why we are developing a human resources development platform powered by artificial intelligence."

The new platform is expected to offer customized learning and real-time tele-education to individual public officials, he said, adding that the platform would be used by central and local governments after its development is completed at the end of 2022.