[From readers] Are public servants shorthanded?

Currently, I am doing business abroad. I understand that there is an allegation that the number of public servants is lacking in Korea and that they shouldn`t be reduced.

In Korea, I once engaged in public works projects for a while when I lost my job. At that time, my job was to support public servants at a district administrative office.

I felt that most public servants are not creative and just worked at ease. They were heavily relying on documentation works rather than having a grip on the actual circumstances. Also, they tend to spend their time at a nearby coffee shop or restaurant and came back to their office to close the day`s work.

They hardly have an understanding about what they are doing and they used to ask me about works they are supposed to handle. Public servants are easy-going and they are working in an inefficient way, so it doesn`t make sense to say that the public servants are shorthanded.

Lee Won-Chun from Bangkok, Thailand