Daily cap on civil servants' overtime eliminated…Compensation provided for hours worked, enhanced supervision

Civil servants' overtime work, which previously was limited to four hours per day, will now be compensated for the actual hours worked without restrictions. Management and supervision to prevent fraudulent claims will be significantly strengthened.

The Ministry of Personnel Management (Director Min Dong-seok) announced on the 15th that an amendment to the 'Regulations on Civil Service Allowances' containing these measures was approved at a Cabinet meeting.

The main provisions of the amendment, which takes effect next month on the 1st, aim to remove the cap on overtime work standards to ensure civil servants receive fair compensation for hours actually worked. The previous limit of four hours per day for overtime allowances will be eliminated, allowing compensation for actual hours worked. However, the monthly cap of 57 hours will be maintained to guarantee civil servants' right to rest.

The overtime cap of up to 100 hours per month that was allowed in exceptional cases such as responding to urgent issues will be eliminated, and the approval authority for exceptional authorization will be lowered from the minister level to the director or department head level, enabling rapid response to emergency situations.

Additionally, a new supplementary overtime allowance will be established to provide overtime compensation for exceeding 25 hours per month to Grade 4 civil servants (multiple positions, Grade 4) who handle practical duties until promotion to department head.

Previously, Grade 4 national civil servants who were not department heads received management allowances and did not receive overtime compensation. However, going forward, if the head of an organization belonging to each ministry pre-designates recipients of the supplementary allowance, they will be able to receive it.

At the same time, management will be tightened to prevent fraudulent overtime claims. To prevent unnecessary formal overtime, employees must register their actual work status in the electronic personnel management system (e-sarang, insarang, etc.) at regular intervals during working hours, and department heads will verify the results, strengthening the responsibility of both employees and department heads.

Sanctions for fraudulent claims will also be strengthened. Currently, disciplinary action must be requested when violations are detected two or more times, but going forward, disciplinary action must be mandatorily requested when fraudulent claims occur even once and the amount exceeds 500,000 won.

Additionally, under amendments to the 'Enforcement Rules of the Civil Service Discipline Ordinance,' disciplinary action for fraudulent claims will be strengthened, lowering the monetary threshold for higher disciplinary grades from the existing 1 million won to 500,000 won or more.

Furthermore, the standards for supervisor accountability will specify fraudulent overtime claims, strengthening managers' supervision and responsibility over their subordinates' overtime work.

Min Dong-seok, minister of personnel management, said, "We will ensure that fair compensation follows actual hours worked, while strictly managing unnecessary overtime."