CHAPTER I GENERAL PROVISIONS
The purpose of this Decree is to prescribe special cases regarding the classification of ranks, appointment, performance evaluation, etc. of public officials in professional functional groups and categories, with rank classifications distinct from those of public officials in general service under Article 4(2) of the State Public Officials Act and Article 3(2) of the Decree on the Appointment of Public Officials.
| Article 2 (Scope of application) |
| (1) | This Decree shall apply to public officials whose personnel management and transfer are restricted to certain specialized areas, and who fall under each functional category in Appendix 1 (hereinafter referred to as "public officials in professional service"). |
| (2) | Except as provided in this Decree, the Decree on the Appointment of Public Officials (hereinafter referred to as the "Appointment Decree") shall apply to the appointment of public officials in professional service; provided, Articles 4, 5, 22-3, 29(1) and (2), 30, 31(1), 33, 35, 35-5, and 45 of the Appointment Decree shall not apply. <Amended on Jul. 27, 2021; Jul. 7, 2025> |
| (3) | Except as provided in this Decree, the Regulations on Performance Evaluation of Public Officials (hereinafter referred to as the "Regulations on Performance Evaluation") shall apply to the performance evaluation of public officials in professional service; provided, Articles 7-2, 10, 12 through 19, 23 through 27, 29, and 30 of the Regulations on Performance Evaluation shall not apply. |
| (4) | Except as provided in this Decree, the Decree on Public Officials Appointment Examinations (hereinafter referred to as the "Examination Decree") shall apply to appointment examinations for public officials in professional service; provided, Articles 23-2 through 23-4 and 37 through 46 of the Examination Decree shall not apply. <Added on Jul. 27, 2021> |
| Article 3 (Classification of ranks) |
| (1) | Public officials in professional service shall be classified into senior professional officials and professional officials. |
| (2) | The names of functional groups, categories, subcategories, and classes of public officials in professional service shall be as specified in Appendix 1. |
| (3) | A senior professional official shall be equivalent to Grade III or IV in general service, while a professional official shall be equivalent to Grade V in general service. |
| Article 4 (Scope of appointment authority) |
| (1) | Senior professional officials and professional officials shall be appointed by the President through the Prime Minister upon the recommendation of the competent Minister, in consultation with the Minister of Personnel Management. |
| (2) | Pursuant to Article 32(3) of the State Public Officials Act (hereinafter referred to as the "Act"), the President shall delegate the authority to appoint public officials in professional service under his or her jurisdiction to the competent Ministers, except where senior professional officials are promoted to a position belonging to the Senior Executive Service. |
| (3) | The competent Minister may delegate the authority to transfer a senior professional official and a professional official to the head of an agency under his or her jurisdiction, who is a member of the Senior Executive Service or higher. |
| (4) | Notwithstanding paragraphs (2) and (3), the competent Minister or the head of the competent superior agency may exercise his or her appointment authority in accordance with the following classifications: |
| 1. | Appointment following adjustment in the fixed number of personnel: The competent Minister; |
| 2. | Personnel exchanges between the competent Ministers: The competent Minister; |
| 3. | Personnel exchanges between affiliated institutions: The competent Minister or the head of the affiliated superior institution; |
| 4. | Personnel exchanges between auxiliary agencies: The competent Minister; |
| 5. | Personnel exchanges between auxiliary agencies and affiliated agencies: The competent Minister. |
CHAPTER II DESIGNATION OF SPECIALIZED FIELDS
| Article 5 (Designation of specialized fields) |
| (1) | The competent Minister may designate specific areas requiring a high level of expertise and long-term employment dealing with business affairs under his or her jurisdiction as specialized fields in consultation with the Minister of Personnel Management. |
| (2) | When intending to designate a specialized field that involves affairs performed by multiple institutions with different jurisdictions, the relevant Ministers may jointly designate such field in consultation with the Minister of Personnel Management. |
| (3) | In any of the following cases, the competent Minister may change or cancel the designation of specialized fields in consultation with the Minister of Personnel Management: |
| 1. | Large-scale organizational and functional restructuring, or changes to the fixed number of personnel; |
| 2. | Increased need to change or cancel the designation of specialized fields due to rapid internal and external environmental changes. |
| (4) | If the competent Minister designates a specialized field pursuant to paragraph (1) or (2) or changes it pursuant to paragraph (3), he or she shall prepare a pathway for assigning positions for public officials in professional service. |
| (5) | In consulting on the cancellation of the designation of specialized fields pursuant to paragraph (3), he or she shall consult with the Minister of the Interior and Safety regarding matters related to the organization, such as changes in the organization and the fixed number of personnel, <Amended on Jul. 26, 2017> |
| (6) | When canceling the designation of specialized fields pursuant to paragraph (3), the competent Minister shall reassign a public official in professional service according to the following classifications: |
| 1. | Where a public official in general service who is not in professional service is reassigned to a position as a public official in professional service: He or she shall be reassigned to a functional group or category in which he or she has previously served; |
| 2. | Where a public official is newly employed through an open competitive examination, etc.: He or she shall be reassigned to a functional group or category in which the continuity of his or her duties is recognized, in consultation with the Minister of Personnel Management. |
| (7) | Except as provided in paragraphs (1) through (6), details necessary for the designation and operation of specialized fields shall be determined by the Minister of Personnel Management. |
CHAPTER III NEW EMPLOYMENT AND REASSIGNMENT
| Article 6 (Requirements for competitive recruitment for career service positions) |
| (1) | A person employed as a public official in professional service pursuant to the main clause or the proviso, with the exception of the subparagraphs, of Article 28(2) of the Act shall meet the requirements prescribed in subparagraphs 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 10, and 13 of that paragraph and the requirements prescribed in Article 16 of the Appointment Decree. In such cases, a person eligible to apply for a competitive recruitment examination, etc. for career service positions for public officials in professional service (referring to a recruitment examination under the main clause or the proviso, with the exception of the subparagraphs, of Article 28(2) of the Act; hereafter in this Article the same shall apply) pursuant to Article 16(1)2, 3, or 10 of the Appointment Decree shall meet the requirements prescribed in paragraph (2). |
| (2) | A person who intends to apply for a competitive recruitment examination, etc. for career service positions for public officials in professional service under Article 16(1)2 or 3 of the Appointment Decree under the latter part of paragraph (1) shall meet the qualifications for application under Article 27 of the Examination Decree, and a person who intends to apply for a competitive recruitment examination, etc. for career service positions for public officials in professional service under Article 16(1)10 of the Appointment Decree shall hold a doctorate or master's degree in the relevant field of duties, and shall meet the criteria for the required career years for each rank to be appointed as specified in Appendix 2. |
| (3) | If the functional groups and categories specified in Appendices 1, 5, or 8 of the Examination Decree are applied to the employment of public officials in professional service pursuant to the main clause or the proviso, with the exception of the subparagraphs, of Article 28 (2) of the Act, the functional groups and categories shall be deemed those of public officials in professional service. |
[This Article Wholly Amended on Jul. 27, 2021]
| Article 6-2 (Probationary appointment and exemption therefrom) |
| (1) | If a public official is newly employed, he or she shall be appointed on a probationary basis for 1 year and his or her appointment as a regular public official shall be determined in consideration of his or her work performance, education and training outcomes, qualifications as a public official, etc. during that period. |
| (2) | In applying Article 25 of the Appointment Decree to exemptions from probationary appointment or the reductions in the probationary appointment period for professional officials, "minimum number of years required for promotion prescribed in Article 31" in paragraph (2)1 of that Article shall be construed as "minimum number of years required for promotion under Article 10 of the Regulations on the Personnel Management of Public Officials in Professional Service". |
[This Article Added on Jul. 27, 2021]
| (1) | In any of the following cases, an appointing authority may reassign a public official in general service not in professional service as a public official in professional service or vice versa; provided, in cases falling under subparagraph 1, he or she shall undergo an examination for reassignment under Article 9, unless they are reassigned to a position falling under the functional categories in which he or she has previously served (limited to cases where his or her status as a public official has not been interrupted): <Amended Jul. 27, 2021; Dec. 26, 2023> |
| 1. | Where a public official in general service of Grade V or higher listed in Appendix 1 of the Appointment Decree intends to be reassigned to a specialized functional category; in such cases, a period set by the competent Minister (not including the periods of leave of absence, release from position, or suspension from office, and shall be at least 1 year) shall have elapsed since his or her initial appointment to the relevant rank; |
| 2. | Where adjustment in the number of personnel in the relevant position is necessary due to changes or abolition of organizations, or changes to or elimination of the fixed number of personnel; |
| 3. | Where the designation of specialized fields is canceled pursuant to Article 5(3). |
| (2) | If a public official in general service of Grade V or higher who has been hired through a recruitment examination under the main clause and the proviso, with the exception of the subparagraphs, of Article 28 (2) of the Act intends to be reassigned as a public official in professional service in his or her specialized field (as referred to in Article 5), the period of restriction on reassignment under Article 29 (3) of the Appointment Decree shall not apply. <Added on Jul. 27, 2021> |
| (3) | A public official in professional service shall not be reassigned to a functional group other than the professional functional group for 7 years and to any other functional category within the professional functional group for 5 years from the date of his or her initial appointment as a public official in professional service; provided, reassignment may occur in cases falling under paragraph (1)2 and 3. <Amended on Jul. 27, 2021> |
| (4) | In calculating the period of restriction on reassignment under paragraph (3), a period during which a public official in professional service is appointed as a probationary appointee shall be included, while the periods of leave of absence, release from position, and suspension from office shall not be counted. <Amended on Jul. 27, 2021> |
| (5) | When reassigning public officials in professional service to a functional category, outside of a professional functional group or reassigning public officials in general service falling under a functional category outside of the professional functional group as public officials in professional service, the appointing authority shall determine the class or position of the person to be appointed based on the standards established by the Minister of Personnel Management. <Amended on Jul. 27, 2021> |
| Article 8 Deleted. <Dec. 26, 2023> |
| Article 9 (Examination for reassignment) |
| (1) | The examination for reassignment as a public official in professional service shall consist of document screening and an oral interview, but if necessary, an additional written or practical examination may also be conducted. |
| (2) | In cases falling under paragraph (1), if the number of applicants is at least 3 times the number of persons to be selected, the competent Minister may select at least 3 times the number of people to be selected through document screening based on the criteria appropriate to the duties of the position to be filled, and then proceed to oral interviews, etc. |
| (3) | The competent Minister shall appoint or commission any of the following persons as examiners to prepare and score the examinations for reassignment under paragraph (1) and to take charge of other matters necessary for conducting the examinations: <Added on Dec. 26, 2023> |
| 1. | Persons of a higher rank than the class to which the reassignment is planned (including public officials corresponding to the higher rank); |
| 2. | Persons who are not public officials (excluding faculty members of national or public universities) with abundant experience and knowledge in the fields related to the duties for which reassignment is to be made. |
| (4) | The examination committee shall consist of at least 3 but not more than 5 members in consideration of gender diversity, and a majority of the committee members shall be those falling under paragraph (3) 2. <Added on Dec. 26, 2023> |
| (5) | Except as provided in paragraphs (1) through (4), matters necessary for administering examinations for reassignment shall be determined by the Minister of Personnel Management. <Added on Dec. 26, 2023> |
| Article 10 (Minimum number of years required for promotion) |
| (1) | To be eligible for promotion to a senior professional official, a person shall have at least 3 years of service. In such cases, a person reassigned pursuant to Article 7(1)1 shall have at least 1 year of service as a professional official. <Amended on Dec. 26, 2023> |
| (2) | In calculating the number of service years under paragraph (1), the experience of a public official in general service who falls under any of the following subparagraphs shall be considered 100 percent in the calculation: |
| 1. | Experience serving at a rank equivalent to Grade 5 or higher; |
| 2. | Experience serving as a local public official equivalent to Grade V or lower. |
| Article 11 (Promotion to senior public officials) |
A professional official who intends to be promoted to a senior professional official shall undergo a promotion screening conducted by an ordinary promotion screening committee under Article 40-3(2) of the Act, which shall include those on the list of candidate for promotion within the relevant agency.
CHAPTER V PERSONAL MANAGEMENT, SUCH AS RESTRICTION ON TRANSFER
| Article 12 (Standards for personnel management) |
The competent Minister shall establish and implement the standards for the management of assignment, reassignment, transfer, promotion, etc. of public officials in professional service under his or her jurisdiction, as prescribed in Article 32-5 of the Act, the Appointment Decree, and this Decree.
| Article 13 (Restriction on transfer) |
| (1) | The appointing authority or the appointment-recommendation authority shall not transfer public officials in professional service under his or her jurisdiction to a field outside their specialized fields or to another specialized field. |
| (2) | The appointing authority or the appointment-recommendation authority may transfer a public official in professional service under his or her jurisdiction to another position only after the compulsory service period in a position has expired, and this period, which shall be 1 year, begins from the date of his or her appointment to the position. |
CHAPTER VI PERFORMANCE EVALUATION
| Article 14 (Evaluation of performance-based contracting) |
| (1) | The work performance evaluation of senior professional officials and professional officials shall be based on the following evaluation criteria (hereinafter referred to as "evaluation of performance-based contracting, etc."): |
| 1. | Level of achievement of performance goals; |
| 2. | Results of evaluation of expertise or ability related to the performance of duties (hereinafter referred to as "expertise evaluation"); |
| 3. | Results of operation evaluations by department (limited to cases deemed necessary by the Minister). |
| (2) | The achievement level of performance goals under paragraph (1)1 shall be evaluated based on evaluation indicators, such as the results, etc. of implementing performance goals achieved by the public officials subject to evaluation during the evaluation period. In such cases, the evaluation may be conducted in consideration of the importance, difficulty, etc. of performance objectives. |
| (3) | Expertise evaluation shall be conducted in consideration of the professional knowledge, skills, ability to perform duties, experience in the specialized field, etc. of public officials, and specific evaluation elements shall be determined by the competent Minister. |
| (4) | The evaluation of performance-based contracting, etc. shall include at least 3 grades, and the lowest grade may be granted to a public official who meets the requirements determined by the Minister, such as misconduct during duty performance. |
| (5) | The competent Minister shall determine matters necessary for the requirements for assigning the lowest grade to public officials pursuant to paragraph (4) and specific procedures, etc. in consideration of the standards and scope set by the Minister of Personnel Management. |
| (6) | The competent Minister shall award points to senior professional officials and professional officials according to grades for the evaluation of performance-based contracting, etc. based on standards determined by the Minister of Personnel Management. |
| (7) | The competent Minister shall convert the previous work performance ratings of public officials at equivalent ranks before their reassignment as public officials in professional service into points for each grade in the evaluation of performance-based contracting, as determined by the Minister of Personnel Management. |
| Article 15 (Service year ratings) |
| (1) | With respect to a professional official who has reached the minimum number of years required for promotion under Article 10(1) as of December 31, their service years shall be rated and used to determine their promotion. |
| (2) | Persons in charge of personnel affairs in each agency shall be responsible for verifying service year ratings; provided, the competent Minister may designate a different verifier, if particularly necessary. |
| (3) | The service year ratings shall consider the period during which a public official subject to the rating has actually performed duties at least in the relevant rank or an equivalent rank as of December 31 each year. <Amended on Dec. 26, 2023> |
| (4) | In cases falling under paragraph (3), the periods of leave of absence, release from position, disciplinary disposition, and restriction on promotion under Article 32 of the Appointment Decree shall not be included; provided, the periods of leave of absence and release from position, which are included in the minimum number of years required for promotion pursuant to Article 31 of the Appointment Decree, shall be deemed the period during which he or she has been engaged in his or her duties in the class or rank held at the time of the leave of absence or release from position and rated accordingly. |
| (5) | Matters necessary for the method of calculating service year ratings such as equivalent ranks between the service years of public officials of different service categories or between the service years of public officials and service years in the private sector, the conversion rate of service years, and the number of service years shall be determined by the Minister of Personnel Management and Innovation. |
| Article 16 (Additional point ratings) |
| (1) | The competent Minister may award up to 5 additional points in consideration of his or her work experience in specific positions or special areas, achievements such as work innovations during the period subject to work performance evaluation, and other job characteristics and contribution. |
| (2) | The standards, etc. for granting additional points under paragraph (1) shall be determined by the competent Minister in consideration of the items, scope, etc. determined by the Minister of Personnel Management. |
| (3) | When intending to change the standards for granting additional points under paragraph (2), the competent Minister shall disclose in advance the details of such change to public officials under his or her jurisdiction to gather opinions from them prior to the work performance evaluation period. |
| Article 17 (Preparation of lists of candidates for promotion) |
| (1) | Scores from the evaluation of performance-based contracting, etc. granted pursuant to Article 14(6) shall be accumulated over at least the number of years determined by the competent Minister taking into account the average number of years required for promotion, etc. by institution in accordance with the standards determined by the Minister of Personnel Management and Innovation. |
| (2) | Scores awarded for service year ratings pursuant to Article 15 shall be accumulated over at least the number of years determined by the competent Minister taking into account the average number of years required for promotion, etc. by institution in accordance with the standards determined by the Minister of Personnel Management and Innovation. |
| (3) | The appointing authority shall prepare a list of candidates for promotion with respect to professional officials who meet all of the following requirements as of January 31: <Amended on Dec. 27, 2022> |
| 1. | The cumulative score for each grade from the evaluation of performance-based contracting, etc. under paragraph (1) shall be at least 90 points; |
| 2. | The cumulative score for service year ratings under paragraph (2) shall be at least 10 points. |
| (4) | The total rating points on the list of candidates for promotion shall include the cumulative points from each grade of the evaluation of performance-based contracting, etc. under paragraph (1), the cumulative points from service year ratings under paragraph (2), and any additional points for persons eligible for additional points under Article 16. |
| (5) | If deemed necessary, the appointing authority may prepare a lists of candidates for promotion by consolidating functional categories with similar duties which maintain an appropriate balance in terms of the number of candidates. In such cases, any changes made shall apply after 1 year from the date of the change. |
ADDENDA <Presidential Decree No. 27787, Jan. 10, 2017>
Article 1 (Enforcement date)
This Decree shall enter into force 1 month after the date of its promulgation.
Article 2 (Special cases concerning period of restriction on reassignment)
Notwithstanding the main clause of Article 7(2), the period of restriction on reassignment for those who were reassigned as public officials in professional service pursuant to Article 7(1) in 2017 shall be 4 years for reassignment to a functional category outside a professional functional group, and 3 years for reassignment to another functional category within the professional functional group.
Article 3 Omitted.
ADDENDA <Presidential Decree No. 28211, Jul. 26, 2017>
Article 1 (Enforcement date)
This Decree shall enter into force on the date of its promulgation; provided, among the Presidential decrees amended under Article 8 of the Addenda, the amendments to a Presidential Decree, which was promulgated before this Decree enters into force but the date it enters into force has yet to arrive, shall enter into force on the enforcement date of the relevant Presidential Decree.
Articles 2 through 8 Omitted.
ADDENDA <Presidential Decree No. 31922, Jul. 27, 2021>
Article 1 (Enforcement date)
This Decree shall enter into force on the date of its promulgation.
Article 2 (Applicability to compulsory service period in a position)
The amended provisions of the proviso of Article 2(2) shall also apply to public officials in professional service who are in office as at the time this Decree enters into force. In such cases, the compulsory service period in a position shall be counted from the date of his or her appointment to the position held as at the time this Decree enters into force.
Article 3 (Transitional measures concerning reorganization of function subcategories of public officials in professional service)
| (1) | Public officials in professional service in the functional subcategories specified in the left column of the following table specified in the previous Appendix 1 as at the time this Decree enters into force shall be deemed appointed to the relevant class in the functional subcategories indicated in the right column of the following table under the amended provisions of Appendix 1. |
| (2) | If procedures for the recruitment and appointment of public officials in professional service in the functional subcategories specified in the left column of Appendix provided in paragraph (1) are ongoing as at the time this Decree enters into force, the procedures in the functional subcategories specified in the right column of that Table shall be deemed ongoing. |
| (3) | Any other statutes or regulations that refer to the classes of public officials in professional service in the functional subcategories listed in the left column of Appendix in paragraph (1) as at the time this Decree enters into force, shall be deemed refer to the relevant classes in the functional subcategories listed in the right column of that Table. |
ADDENDA <Presidential Decree No. 33150, Dec. 27, 2022>
Article 1 (Enforcement date)
This Decree shall enter into force on the date of its promulgation.
Article 2 (Transitional measures concerning cumulative scores by grade of evaluation of performance-based contracting, and cumulative scores in evaluation of service years)
Notwithstanding the amended provisions of Article 17(3)1 and 2, the previous provisions shall apply if a list of candidates for promotion is prepared as of January 31, 2023 and if adjustment to the list are made due to grounds arising pursuant to Article 5(4) of the Regulations on the Performance Evaluation of Public Officials prior to July 30, 2023.
ADDENDA <Presidential Decree No. 34055, Dec. 26, 2023>
Article 1 (Enforcement date)
This Decree shall enter into force on January 1, 2024; provided, the amended provisions of Articles 10(1) and 15(3) shall enter into force on January 31, 2024.
Article 2 (Transitional measures concerning examinations for reassignment in progress)
Notwithstanding the amended provisions of Articles 7 through 9, the previous provisions shall apply to examinations for reassignment in progress as at the time this Decree enters into force.
Article 3 (Transitional measures concerning promotion in progress)
| (1) | Notwithstanding the amended provisions of Articles 10(1) and 15(3), the previous provisions shall apply where any screening by an ordinary promotion screening committee is conducted before the enforcement date under the proviso of Article 1 of the Addenda. |
| (1) | Notwithstanding the amended provisions of Articles 10(1) and 15(3), the previous provisions shall apply where a screening by an ordinary promotion screening committee is in progress as at the enforcement date under the proviso of Article 1 of the Addenda. |
ADDENDA <Presidential Decree No. 35638, Jul. 7, 2025>
Article 1 (Enforcement date)
This Decree shall enter into force on July 8, 2025.
Article 2 Omitted.