Civil Service Exam Passers Must Undergo Drug Testing for Appointment

Drug Testing Introduced in Medical Examinations
Cabinet Approves Partial Amendment to Civil Service Recruitment Medical Regulations

From now on, individuals who pass the civil service exam will be required to undergo a drug test as part of the mandatory pre-appointment medical examination.

On June 9, the Ministry of Personnel Management announced that the partial amendment of the "Civil Servant Recruitment Medical Examination Regulations," which adds drug testing to the recruitment medical examination items, was approved at a Cabinet meeting.

To proactively prevent the inflow of drugs into public service, the scope of drug testing—which had previously been conducted only for certain positions such as police officers and firefighters—will now also include general and foreign service civil servants.

With the amendment, those who pass the civil service exam will be subject to a medical examination that includes drug testing for six types of narcotics, such as methamphetamine, marijuana, opium, and cocaine, which are the same items tested for police and firefighter positions. Only those who pass the medical examination will be eligible for appointment as civil servants.

This amendment will take effect from the date of its promulgation, which will be one week after the Cabinet's approval, and will apply to those who are finally accepted after the implementation. Choi Dongseok, Minister of Personnel Management, stated, "We recognize the recent penetration of drugs into everyday life as a serious social issue," adding, "We will continue to improve measures to block the spread of drugs within the public service and do our best to build a trustworthy public sector."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.