South Korea’s public servants are increasingly turning to side gigs like real estate rentals and YouTube channels.
According to government data submitted by the Ministry of Personnel Management to the National Assembly on Friday, the number of civil servants officially granted permission to hold additional jobs more than doubled over the past four years, from 2,482 in 2020 to 4,982 in 2024.
Over the same period, disciplinary cases for unauthorized outside work rose from 14 to 60.
While still a small fraction of South Korea’s 1.17 million public servants, the sharp rise shows increasing economic pressure on state employees. Most civil servants remain subject to strict limits on secondary employment, and any approved work must not interfere with official duties or create conflicts of interest.
One of the most notable increases was in real estate leasing, which jumped tenfold from 45 cases in 2020 to 455 in 2024. YouTube and other personal broadcasting-related approvals grew nearly fivefold, from 27 to 133. These side jobs, once rare or discouraged, are now among the top five categories of approved outside work, alongside roles such as academic lectures or public-sector consulting.
Entry-level Grade 9 public servants in South Korea earn a base monthly salary of around 2 million won (about $1,400), which falls below Korea’s statutory minimum wage when bonuses are excluded. By comparison, the national average monthly wage in 2023 was 3.63 million won, according to Statistics Korea, and nearly 6 million at large firms.
YouTube appeals as a low-cost platform with the theoretical potential for high returns. Yet the income gap is steep. The top 1 percent of Korean creators earned over 1.3 billion won annually in 2023, while the bottom 50 percent made less than 20 million, according to the National Tax Service.
Regulations require that all outside work pursued by public servants be approved in advance. Roles expected to generate significant income, including monetized online content, must also pass a formal review committee. Most approvals are capped at two years; personal broadcasting is limited to one.
In 2024, the National Police Agency recorded the most approvals (673), followed by the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Rural Development Administration, and the Ministry of Culture.
“The core responsibilities of civil servants remain the same, regardless of the times,” said Rep. Wi Seong-gon, who reviewed the data. “We must respect efforts to adapt, but not at the expense of public trust.”
The government plans to raise public sector pay by 3.5 percent in 2026, its largest hike in nearly a decade.
mjh@heraldcorp.com
