Government recommends dismissal of heads of Public Official Pension Service, KOICA for 'very insufficient' performance

South Korea's government has recommended the dismissal of the heads of the Public Official Pension Service and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) following "very insufficient" performance evaluations. This action comes as part of the government's 2025 performance review of public institutions.

Overall, 16 institutions were rated as "very insufficient" in their performance. The evaluation also identified 24 heads of institutions who received grades of "insufficient" (D) or lower. The government plans to recommend the dismissal of seven institutional heads who received the lowest "very insufficient" (E) grade and are currently in office. Two of these are the heads of the Public Official Pension Service and KOICA.

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This evaluation assessed the 2025 performance of 88 public enterprises and quasi-governmental institutions, and the 2025 performance contract execution of 82 public enterprises and quasi-governmental institutions.

KOICA's president, Jang Won-sam, appointed in July 2023, faces scrutiny amid allegations that the agency favored Cambodian public development aid projects due to a request from Kim Keon-hee, the wife of former President Yoon Suk-yeol. Kim Dong-geuk, the head of the Public Official Pension Service, was appointed in August 2023 during the Yoon Suk-yeol administration.

Additionally, 23 institutional heads who received an "insufficient" (D) grade will be issued warnings. This includes 12 currently serving heads of institutions like the National Institute of Ecology and Korea Land and Geospatial Informatix Corporation. Eleven heads who were in office when fatal industrial accidents occurred last year will also receive warnings. The evaluation also found no institutions received the top "outstanding" (S) rating, with only 15 achieving an "excellent" (A) rating.

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We evaluated the performance of core tasks such as major projects and national agenda items with significant weight, while strengthening the evaluation of social responsibilities like safety and environmental protection.