[Gangnam Perspective] Abolish the Duty Shift System for Civil Servants

As the government embarks on a comprehensive overhaul of the duty shift system for the first time in 76 years, there is already considerable interest in whether the reforms will prove effective. The Ministry of Personnel Management recently announced a revised bill for national civil servants, aiming to enhance efficiency in duty assignments by expanding options such as remote and integrated shifts, which are also expected to reduce costs. The duty shift system, originally established when administrative agencies had vulnerable security facilities, has long been criticized as outdated and ill-suited to current realities.
The government's intention to significantly revise the duty shift system is to modernize outdated practices that no longer fit the current environment, improve working conditions for civil servants, and provide better administrative services to the public. After a three-month pilot program, the government plans to fully implement the changes starting next April. Currently, about half of central administrative agencies already allow remote work, and the government believes that, barring unforeseen issues, the nationwide rollout will proceed smoothly. However, there are concerns that a blanket implementation for both central and local governments may not be feasible, as their circumstances differ. For instance, in local areas where emergencies such as wildfires occur frequently, switching to remote duty could expose weaknesses in crisis response and management. The government has yet to devise a solution for this issue. At the same time, requiring only local officials to remain on-site is also seen as outdated. In response, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) plans to propose various duty shift models that allow local governments to autonomously improve their systems, taking into account their close connection to residents’ daily lives. For example, in the case of Metropolitan Government Headquarters and Main Office of Local Government, the government is considering integrating the functions or spaces of the duty room and the Disaster and Safety Situation Room, as well as reviewing the possibility of remote duty or even abolishing the system altogether.
Typically, duty shifts run from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m. the following day, and those on duty are exempt from work the next day. The compensation is modest—30,000 won on weekdays and 50,000 won on holidays—offering little incentive. Nevertheless, excessive duty assignments, carried out as a matter of routine, have been criticized for reducing work efficiency and generating problematic complaints.
The greatest inefficiency of the duty shift system lies in the fact that most of the work involves answering calls from the public. In some cases, specific callers repeatedly phone throughout the night, severely disrupting operations. It is not uncommon for duty officers to simply set the phone aside during their shifts. With such inefficient practices persisting, the government estimates that simply reducing these costs could save up to 16.9 billion won annually. If remote duty is adopted, civil servants would report to work as usual, thereby increasing the number of working days and allowing for more efficient administration. Currently, about 450,000 national civil servants use compensatory leave after on-site duty shifts, resulting in work gaps. The government projects that if these gaps are reduced through remote duty, approximately 3.56 million additional work hours could be secured each year, enabling the provision of extra government services to the public.
However, before introducing remote duty, there are calls for post-implementation management, such as verifying whether duty officers are fulfilling their responsibilities. As there are no clear measures in place, the need for supplementary policies is being raised. The nature of remote work, compared to on-site duty, introduces variables such as continuity of work and responsiveness to urgent situations. While the government maintains that each agency should address these challenges autonomously, some criticize this as a passive approach. Many argue that robust follow-up measures are essential to ensure accountability and effectiveness in remote duty. In particular, improvements are needed to clarify how the system will distinguish between national civil servants and local government officials.
Ultimately, this reform is being recognized as a pragmatic measure in line with the times, acknowledging that the inefficient duty shift system has unnecessarily burdened civil servants and undermined the vitality of public service. By allowing civil servants to focus more on their core responsibilities and deliver higher-quality administrative services, the significance of this reform is considerable.
ktitk@fnnews.com Reporter