The recent resignation announcement by Kim Sun-tae, head of the New Media Team at Chungju City Hall—known as "Chungju Man" for building the city's promotional YouTube channel—has renewed attention on the exodus from public service. Despite the widespread perception that government jobs offer high stability, a significant number of civil servants are leaving before reaching retirement age.
Voluntary Resignations Rise for Seven Consecutive Years
According to the Ministry of Personnel Management's statistical yearbook, 17,292 national civil servants voluntarily resigned in 2024, accounting for 59.0% of all retirees that year. Kim's departure will also be processed as a voluntary resignation.
Voluntary departures have increased consistently over the past seven years. The number of voluntary resignations rose from 9,225 in 2017 to 10,694 in 2018, 12,485 in 2019, 13,093 in 2020, 14,312 in 2021, 15,429 in 2022, and 16,593 in 2023—an average annual increase of more than 1,000.
The proportion of voluntary resignations among all retirees has also trended upward, from 48.5% in 2017 to 54.1% in 2018, 57.1% in 2019, 55.2% in 2020, 57.3% in 2021, 55.1% in 2022, and 57.5% in 2023.
Mid-Career Officials and Education Workers Lead Departures
The departure of mid-career officials—the backbone of the civil service—is particularly notable. Among national civil servants who voluntarily resigned in 2024, 5,443 were general service employees. Grade 6 officials accounted for the largest share at 1,163, followed by Grade 7 (790), Grade 9 (726), Grade 8 (527), and Grade 5 (461). A total of 1,038 officials at Grade 5 or above resigned, including 187 senior officials at Grade 2 or higher.
Among special service categories—including diplomatic, police, fire, prosecution, and education personnel—education workers comprised the largest share at 8,929 (76.7%), followed by police officers at 2,115 (18.2%).
Young Workers and New Recruits Driving the Trend
The exodus is most pronounced among younger employees. According to the Government Employees Pension Service, civil servant retirees aged 21-30 more than doubled from 2,441 in 2015 to 5,105 in 2024. Those in the 31-40 and 41-50 age brackets increased by 86.7% and 73.3%, respectively, during the same period.
Early-career departures are also significant. In 2024, 12,013 civil servants with less than five years of service voluntarily resigned, representing 59.3% of all voluntary retirees.
The Korea Institute of Public Administration's 2024 survey found that civil servants with 6-10 years of service reported the lowest levels of organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and public service values.
Low Pay and Public Complaints Cited as Key Factors
Field interviews point to a combination of factors: compensation that fails to match workload intensity, stress from handling public complaints, and shifting attitudes toward lifetime employment.
"There's no advantage in terms of wages," one 17-year veteran who started at Grade 7 told Yonhap News. "Even after working more than 10 years with overtime, monthly pay is in the upper 3 million won range. The workload isn't light either, so people quit early to find other jobs or leave when they face childcare issues."
A district office employee in Seoul cited complaint-handling stress: "Many people treat us disrespectfully as if we're service workers. Once you experience a conflict with a complainant, it can be traumatic."
A high school teacher in Gyeonggi Province echoed similar concerns: "Young teachers earn less than their peers but face greater difficulties with students and parents. They seem to want to find new opportunities while they're still young."