Cup bap shops shut as Koreans weary of civil service exams

Social Affairs

Published: 02 Apr. 2023, 09:00 Updated: 03 Apr. 2023, 09:28

Cup bap shops shut as Koreans weary of civil service exams

A street near Noryangjin Station in southern Seoul, often referred to as the cup bap street, is vacant on March 17. [KIM KI-HWAN]

A vibrant street known for selling cup rice, or cup bap, near Noryangjin Station in southern Seoul is no longer packed with test takers studying for the gosi, which translates as the civil service exam, during a recent lunchtime.

On March 17, 10 out of 23 cup bap stores that gosi takers have traditionally eaten simple meals for about 3,500 won ($2.68) were shut.

“It is an old story that the street was filled with those who are preparing for civil service exams,” said a 58-year-old who has been selling cup rice in the area for 13 years.

“The number of exam-taking customers who used to visit here frequently dropped sharply.”

Working for the civil service has long been a dream for many Koreans.

But the competition rate of these exams is dropping, and even experienced civil servants are jumping to private companies.

According to Statistics Korea, the government was chosen as the No.1 workplace for those between 13 and 34 in 2009. Public companies came next.

But in the same survey conducted in 2021, large companies came first, followed by public companies and governmental organizations.

The competition rate for grade 9 public servant positions, the lowest level, reached 22.8 to 1 this year. This was the lowest rate since 1992, when it plunged to 19.3 to 1. In 2011, the competition rate was as high as 93.3 to 1.

The competition rate for level 5 civil servants has been dropping, from 43.3 to 1 in 2021 to 38.4 to 1 in 2022 and 35.5 to 1 this year.

It is not only the number of exam applicants dropping.

Those who have already been working as civil servants are switching their jobs.

According to the data from the Ministry of Personnel Management submitted to PPP lawmaker Chung Woo-taik, the number of civil servants that resigned rose from 10,694 in 2018 to 14,312 in 2021, up 33.8 percent.

Even those who are recognized for their achievements in their ministries are transferring to the private sector.

Those who were considered as vice minister candidates at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy between 2021 and 2022 moved to corporations. Some others who held significant posts at the Fair Trade Commission during the same period have moved to unicorn companies, such as Dunamu and Coupang.

It was not only large companies attracting talent. Global companies, start-ups and academia have also become some of their options.

“It feels less rewarding because the final decision maker of policies has become the parliament now,” said a civil service worker who began working at the Ministry of Economy and Finance in the 1990s.

“It is not surprising to see colleagues moving to companies, and everyone tends to congratulate those who are switching to jobs with better conditions.”

On a recent day in the Noryangjin area, an empty academy had a “for lease” sign pasted on its window, just opposite the cup rice street. Even gosiwon, or small studios primarily meant for students, study cafes and restaurants were seen closed.

“I asked myself if this really was Noryangjin because it was very vacant,” said a 23-year-old Kwon Ye-ji, who is studying for the entry-level civil service exam. “I can feel that the gosi’s popularity has fallen.”

Salary is one factor.

The monthly pay before tax for grade 9 civil servants is 1.77 million won and for grade 5, 2.65 million won.

The amendment of pension plans for civil servants in 2015, which reduced the amount of income pension benefits distributed to civil servants, has made the job even less appealing.

“The gap has become bigger as salaries at most companies have risen in the past two to three years while those for public servants have not,” said Seo Mi-young, CEO of Incruit, an online job-seeking platform.

“In the past, people preferred to become civil servants despite the low compensation due to its stability and pension systems but now it is beyond the level that they can stand.”

Work-life balance is another reason.

The benefits and perks at the major five IT companies that are highly preferred by the so-called MZ generation these days — Naver, Kakao, Coupang, Line and Baedal Minjok — offer better perks and benefits.

“There are many private companies that offer better work-life balance, including working from home and flexible work system,” Seo said.

The younger generation’s focus on personal growth is another factor.

“The MZ generation desires to achieve more through challenges than to have the stableness of working at a company for their entire lifetime,” said Lee Hae-young, a professor at Yeungnam University’s public administration department.

“The organization of civil servants itself clashes with the values of the MZ generation in many ways as the younger generation prefers free-flowing and horizontal communications easily found at start-up companies.”

The change in the MZ generation’s perceptions of jobs can be seen by how there were so many who were interested in Hyundai Motor production line careers when the job was available for the first time since 2013 on March 2.

There was a queue just to access the Hyundai Motor production line careers websites as the demand was so high due to its high salary and the guarantee of employment until retirement age despite being a blue-collar job.

The average annual salary for Hyundai Motor’s production line workers was 96 million won ($73,000) in 2021.

As criticisms continued saying appropriate candidates are not taking the exam due to low compensation, the government is drawing up measures to recruit the right candidates.

“We will make sure to secure good candidates by improving the work conditions of civil servants, creating horizontal organizational culture, strengthening communication between test takers and improving recruitment systems,” said an official from the Ministry of Personnel Management.

Some advised that better compensation should be made to motivate these public servants.

“It is a natural step to see the popularity of civil service work drop as the country’s economy transfers from a government-led to a private-led economy,” said Lee. “Civil servant is still a popular job, although it is not popular as it used to be.

“There is a need to change the working culture to motivate those working for the country and strengthen compensation to make sure they are rewarded appropriately.”

BY KIM KI-HWAN, CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]