Politics · South Korea · 1 day ago
Lawmaker cites promotions to dispute claims of a civil service backlog
South Korean lawmaker Park Gyun-taek says recent promotion figures contradict claims that President Lee Jae Myung’s government has a serious backlog in senior civil service appointments.
He based his comments on data from the country’s personnel ministry.
In the first half of 2026, 244 officials were promoted from grade 3 to the senior civil service, he said.
That is already more than the 282 promotions recorded across all of 2023, though Park said the annual total for 2026 is expected to be higher.
He also said promotion to a top senior rank took an average of eight years under Lee, compared with eight years and seven months in 2022–2023 under former President Yoon Suk Yeol.
The share of women in the senior civil service rose from 12.9% in 2024 to 17.1% by June 2026, according to Park’s office.
The figures are being used in a political dispute over whether the government is promoting officials quickly enough.
Lawmaker Park Gyun-taek said 244 third-grade civil servants were promoted to the senior civil service in the first half of 2026.
He said the figure challenges claims that promotions are severely stalled under the Lee Jae-myung government.
The average time to promotion from third grade to senior civil service grade “ga” was eight years under the Lee government, down from eight years and seven months in 2022–2023.
Women accounted for 58 senior civil service promotions in the first half of 2026, and their share of the senior civil service reached 17.1% as of June.
- Who
- Lawmaker Park Gyun-taek of the Democratic Party of Korea reported the figures.
- What
- He said 244 third-grade civil servants were promoted to the senior civil service in the first half of 2026.
- When
- The figures cover the first half of 2026; Park made the statement on October 10, 2026.
- Where
- South Korea.
- Why
- Park cited the figures to reject claims that promotions were severely stalled under the Lee Jae-myung government.
Some media and critics alleging a promotion bottleneck
Park Gyun-taek
Promotion backlog
Some media and critics alleging a promotion bottleneck
Some media have claimed that promotions were severely stalled under the Lee government.
Park Gyun-taek
Park said the claim was false and pointed to 244 promotions in the first half of 2026.
Some media have claimed that personnel promotions are stalled under the Lee Jae-myung government based on unfounded testimony, but these statistics have shown all those claims to be false.
The average time to promotion from third grade to senior civil service grade “ga” was eight years and seven months under the Yoon government.
A total of 282 people were promoted to the senior civil service during the year.
Women made up 12.9% of the senior civil service, according to Park’s office.
A total of 244 people, including 58 women, were promoted to the senior civil service.
Women’s share of the senior civil service stood at 17.1%, according to Park’s office.
Park announced the figures and said they contradicted claims of a severe promotion backlog.
- Promotions in first half of 2026
- 244
- Women promoted in first half of 2026
- 58
- Average promotion time under Lee government
- 8 years
- Average promotion time in 2022–2023
- 8 years 7 months
- Women’s share of senior civil service in June 2026
- 17.1%
- Promotions in 2023
- 282
Sources
Related news
Lee’s approval falls to 35.2% as opposition party leads poll
Democratic Party leader urges role-appropriate criticism of government
Civic groups and port unions urge review of plan to merge four port authorities
Wonju to host international forum on how literature shapes cities
South Korean court hears bail request from former National Assembly security chief
South Korea opposition leader criticizes president over golf and social media use
South Korea’s LH operates more than 1.5 million rental homes
Democratic Party lawmaker calls for chief justice’s impeachment ahead of possible trial restart
Gwanak Gang Gam-chan Festival to run October 16–18
Wonju launches one-stop online portal for business support
Approval rate for new school projects rises from 30% to over 80%
