The number of public officials in South Korea is likely to exceed the 1 million mark this year due to the government's pledge to increase police officers to guarantee public safety and security, data showed Tuesday.

According to the data compiled by the Ministry of Security and Public Administration, the number of civil servants under the central and local governments amounted to 991,481 as of the end of June, up 1,058 from the end of 2012.

Of all civil servants, some 61.7 percent work under the administrative branch, including 346,446 public school teachers and 138,162 police officers as well as other law enforcement officials, the data showed.

The increase in the number of civil servants was attributed mainly to the government's hiring of 1,332 police officers in the first half of this year. 

President Park Geun-hye has vowed to increased the number of public jobs in the security and welfare sectors, including police officers and firefighters, by 20,000 during her five-year term as part of efforts to guarantee the safety and security of the public.

"In the second half, we plan to hire 4,262 more low-ranking police officers, which marks the largest number ever for a single round of recruitment since 1980," a ministry official said.

"Factoring in the planned recruitment of firefighters and those in charge of state welfare services, the total number of civil servants is expected to surpass 1 million soon," he added.

In March, the government promulgated a revised decree that stipulates an increase to the maximum number of public jobs under the central government by 20,000, allowing the number of civil servants to top 1 million.

The total number of employees under South Korea's general government, involving officials from central and local governments, as well as non-profit organizations, comes to 1.39 million, or 5.7 percent of the country's labor force, according to data for 2011 by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

It is much lower than the average of 15 percent for OECD member countries. (Yonhap News)