Public servants with onlooker attitude

These days, Mr. L, who is a deputy director general of a government ministry, used to say that he feels utterly scandalized. As he is expected to promote to director-general soon, he thought he would have to work harder. But, it is hard to find a suitable person among lower or higher ranking officials around him to work in harmony. On the contrary, they told him that he could be hurt if he tries to do something that was not ordered. They also gave him an appalling advice that if he pledges loyalty to the current government, he would be marked down and can hardly maintain the current position after two years when there will be a new government.

As President Kim Dae-Jung`s term of office has came half the way, the so-called "onlookers syndrome" is prevailing among the public servants. It is even more serious among those high-ranking officials. Such a phenomenon was witnessed under the previous regime. But, the current situation is so serious that even public servants themselves are astounded at it as officials are reluctant to be promoted, refrain from working hard and get into an arguments with each other within the same department over a personnel policy concentrated on a specific region.

Many officials hate promotion or appointment: Recently, when the government was seeking applicants for a position of secretary at the Chong Wa Dae (Blue House), all director-general level officials at economic ministries refused the appointment for various reasons. Eventually, one director-general was selected, but his colleagues were sorry and uneasy for his appointment rather than giving him congratulatory words, saying that he would be affected by the position.

A high-ranking official of an economic ministry explained that such a phenomenon can be understood that officials at the headquarters do not want to be appointed in the latter period of the government.

Many public servants are not showing their active interest in either appointment or promotion, which are the wishes for the officials who belong to the class society. An official of the Prime Minister`s Office said that director-level officials with promotional opportunity tended to lobby to their supervisors in the past, but such a scene is hardly witnessed these days. He said that such an atmosphere is more or less the same in other government offices.

An official of the Unification Ministry said that the general sentiment is not to make efforts for promotion since it would last for a maximum of two and a half years even if they are promoted or appointed to an attractive position but they could face disadvantage at the next government, adding that those who are loyal to the current regime are some public servants from a specific region. Some officials wish to work for overseas positions or to apply for an overseas education program. By doing so, they could spend about two years abroad while avoiding any appointment-related troubles as well as disadvantages they may faced at the next government.

If you work hard, you would get hurt: These days, the word "Three Go" is popular among public servants at Kwachon`s government office complex. It is referring to the Korean words for cover, postpone and discourage. Just like the recent trade dispute over garlic between Korea and China, they know there are problems but they would rather cover them since they may trigger any trouble.In case of the separation of dispensary from medical practice, officials tend to postpone the issue since any solution to the question would just get criticism from the public. Also, they tend to dissuade their senior officials or juniors from doing something new as they may cause any unwanted trouble.

It is true that an atmosphere associated with the "Three Go" is prevailing among the public servants. It is the general sentiment among public servants not to work on some new projects as they could hurt from it since the high-ranking officials are paying attention only to the public opinion and evaluation of the civil groups and they can hardly offer shelters to those hard-working officials. They point out that the medical trouble and the cancellation of building Donggang dam must have had a great influence on such a tendency.

The Ministry of Construction and Transportation cancelled the plan for construction of Donggang dam faced with opposition of the public opinion and civil groups. It is not conducting a feasibility study on a flood-controlling dam. However, it is believed that most officials involved in the project are not working hard since the financial decision will be made by the planning team for the improvement of water quality of the Prime Minister`s Office, regardless of their technical studies.

A director-general of the Construction-Transportation Ministry said "Our work is suppoed to be blamed for being an environment destroyer, so we can`t do anything faced with opposition of the environment organizations and the public opinion." Also, an official of the Ministry of Health and Welfare said who would believe the government if it steps backwardly in the policy, faced with opposition of the involving parties even though it has been carried forward under a legitimate procedure and agreement. "That`s why all interest groups are asking for a dialog with the President," he lamented.

Mounting complains about parachute-style appointment concentrated on a specific region: An official of an economic ministry, who is classified as a member of the so-called PK (Pusan-Kyungnam) Group, said that he thought it would be inevitable at the birth of the new government to adopt a personnel policy that favors people from the Honam (Cholla Provinces) region. But the situation is getting even worse as time goes by, he pointed out. He said that he encourages those who belong to the PK Group to wait for two and a half more years as the current government has gone through a half of its term but he does not know how to sustain for the next two and a half years.

A director-general of the Prime Minister`s Office said that the majority of the public servants are not simply complaining about the increase in the percentage of officials from the Honam region from the previous 8% to 27%. The problem is that all major decision-making position of each government ministries are almost monopolized by the officials from a specific region.

Another official of the Prime Minister`s Office contended that the native place of spokespersons of each government ministries tells the seriousness of personnel policy that is focused on a specific region.

An official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said that the phenomenon of separating officials in accordance to their native place is getting more serious, although diplomats are tend to be less affected by local color.