According to Yonhap News, one in three disciplinary actions against public employees last year was either reduced or canceled through appeals.
On October 6, Park Sang-woong, a member of the National Assembly's Administrative Safety Committee, revealed data from the Human Resources Innovation Office's Appeal Review Committee. The committee granted 213 out of 634 appeals last year, resulting in a grant rate of 33.6%. Of these, 193 cases saw penalties reduced, while 20 were canceled altogether.
The appeal review system allows public employees to contest disciplinary actions or other unfavorable decisions against their will, serving as a necessary administrative review process before pursuing legal action. When an employee files an appeal, the Human Resources Innovation Office's Appeal Review Committee evaluates the case to determine whether to cancel or reduce the penalty.
The grant rate for appeals has been steadily increasing since 2022. In 2022, the rate was 24.5% (149 cases), rising to 27.0% (182 cases) in 2023 and 29.5% (190 cases) in 2024. As of August this year, the grant rate surged to 38.1% (157 cases). The number of appeals filed has also consistently grown, from 850 in 2022 to 885 in 2023, 966 in 2024, and 1,093 in 2025.
By type, the grant rate for appeals related to DUI penalties was the highest. An analysis of appeal outcomes from 2022 to 2025 showed that the grant rate for DUI-related cases was 29.7% (66 cases), followed by abuse of power at 28.0% (26 cases), bribery at 27.5% (50 cases), and sexual misconduct at 25.0% (95 cases).
Park stated, "As the number of appeal applications continues to rise, we need to assess whether the review system is adequately responding to the increasing demand for evaluations." He added, "We must implement measures to ensure consistent and substantive appeal reviews."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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