government law
Phase 1: Prior to the Introduction of the Government Employees Training Act (1949 to 1961)
In March 1949, the National Civil Service Training Institute (NCSTI), the first organization of its kind in Korea, came into being to provide education and training for government employees. The NCSTI continued to serve as the central body of education and training for government employees until the creation of the Central Civil Service Training Institute (CCSTI) in 1961. The NCTSI focused mainly on the training of the newly hired, but also provided refresher training for those already in civil service. With aid from the United States, the institute was able to offer managerial programs for middle managers and high-ranking government employees beginning in 1958.
It was only after the introduction of the Government Employees Training Act (GETA) that the Korean government began to provide in-depth training for employees at different ministries and departments. Even prior to 1961, however, certain ministries and departments had their own agencies for training government employees. Some examples include the Postal Service Training Center of the Ministry of Postal Services; the Transportation Officials Training School of the Ministry of Transportation; the Revenue Officer Training School of the Ministry of Finance; the Police Academy; and the Warder Academy. These organizations provided education and training for government employees who worked in more specialized areas of civil service.
Job training, however, did not serve the purpose of promotion and personnel management during this time period, and there were no legal grounds mandating the training and education of government employees. The existing system also lacked a general, comprehensive, systemic perspective on how to train and educate government employees. The more specialized training agencies serving different ministries and departments failed to develop suitable and necessary curricula, relying instead on programs inherited from the era of Japanese rule.
Job training for government employees at this time was perceived more as a kind of waiting period for government employees who had yet to secure proper employment than as a helpful means of achieving self-development. Government employees, accordingly, did not warm up to the idea of job training (Kim Jungnyang, 2004).
Source: Korea Institute of Public Administration. 2008. Korean Public Administration, 1948-2008, Edited by Korea Institute of Public Administration. Pajubookcity: Bobmunsa.
