The Ministry of Personnel Management announced that a revised regulation on civil service hiring physical examinations was approved at a cabinet meeting on June 9.
This amendment aims to prevent the influx of drugs into the public sector. Earlier this year, a 30-year-old civil servant working in a city hall in southern Gyeonggi Province was found to have been involved in drug trafficking and use.
As a result, the ministry will expand drug testing, which previously applied only to specific public service roles such as police and firefighters, to include general and foreign service positions as well.
Under the new regulation, successful candidates of the civil service exam will be tested for six types of drugs, including methamphetamine, marijuana, opium, and cocaine, similar to the tests conducted for police and firefighter positions.
Candidates must receive a favorable evaluation from the physical examination to be appointed as civil servants.
The revised regulation will take effect one week after its announcement at the cabinet meeting and will apply to candidates who pass the exam thereafter.
Choi Dong-seok, head of the Ministry of Personnel Management, stated, "As drugs have increasingly infiltrated the daily lives of citizens, it has become a significant social issue. We will continuously improve systems to prevent the spread of drugs in the public sector and build a trustworthy civil service for the public."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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