Public Institution Heads Face Dismissal After Poor Performance Review

Heads of two public institutions are on the verge of dismissal after receiving the lowest evaluation in a performance review that was revived after an eight-year hiatus. Kim Dong-geuk, head of the Public Official Pension Service, and Jang Won-sam, head of the Korea International Cooperation Agency, were among those who received the worst ratings in the government's 2025 performance evaluation of public institutions. The government announced the results on June 19, revealing that 88 public enterprises and quasi-governmental institutions were assessed.

In the institutional evaluations, three organizations, including the Korea Broadcast Advertising Corporation (KOBACO), the National Park Service, and the Korea International Cooperation Agency, were rated 'very unsatisfactory.' An additional 13, such as SR, Korea National Oil Corporation, and Korea Asset Management Corporation (KAMCO), were rated 'unsatisfactory.' The government plans to cut the operating expenses for these 16 institutions by 0.5% to 1.0% next year.

The revived evaluation for institutional heads saw seven entities, including the Public Official Pension Service, Korea International Cooperation Agency, Korea National Railway, SR, Korea Vocational Competency Development Institute, Korea National Oil Corporation, and Korea Energy Agency, receive the lowest 'very unsatisfactory' grade. However, only the heads of the Public Official Pension Service and the Korea International Cooperation Agency are currently in office, leading the government to recommend their dismissal.