It has been almost two years since the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's representative youth policy, the 'central government youth internship' program, was introduced. However, within the government offices, there is increasing noise around this program. Fierce debates ensued following an anonymous post that said, 'Honestly, all I can think of is that it's a waste of budget.' The controversy intensified with claims that 'the pay is even higher than that of a grade 7 civil servant.'
The issue began with a post titled 'Youth Intern' uploaded on the Ministry of Strategy and Finance's anonymous board 'Communication and Empathy' on the 26th of the previous month. The post stated, 'It seems that everyone, from people in charge of youth policy (in the Ministry of Strategy and Finance) who manage difficult-to-control interns, to those assigned such interns, is struggling.' It continued, 'Of course, some interns work hard, but honestly, I don't even know what they're doing here, and all I can think of is that it's a waste of budget.' Additionally, the post mentioned, 'I heard the rumor that interns will be around throughout next year; it's very frustrating.'
Dozens of comments followed the post. An employee who agreed said, 'What work can we give to someone who will leave in just a few months?' Another added, 'We have to teach them anything we want them to do, but what's the fault of the employees who have to teach someone who will leave soon?' Other employees commented, 'The policy was made, and it seems like they just expect each department to handle it on their own,' and 'It feels more like work to find something to assign them or to assign work.'
One individual raised the criticism level, saying, 'Many interns have a routine of 'come to work - take a walk - lunch - take a walk - leave work,' and since it's a government department, there's no authority to fire them, so they blatantly engage in 'wollu' (a Korean neologism referring to those who don't perform their duties well but still collect a paycheck).'
The salary issue was also pointed out. Opinions suggested that, 'they are paid more than a grade 9 civil servant,' and even, 'the pay is higher than that of a grade 7 civil servant. It creates a sense of relative deprivation.' This was not entirely incorrect. According to the 'Ministry of Strategy and Finance 2024 second half youth intern recruitment announcement' posted at the end of May, the salary was indicated as '2,067,400 won per month (excluding overtime pay).' According to this year's civil servant salary table, it was set higher than grade 7 step 1 (2,050,600 won per month), grade 8 step 3 (2,019,800 won per month), and grade 9 step 5 (2,006,700 won per month).
On the other hand, there were also many supportive opinions. One employee defended, 'Our department's youth intern works hard,' and criticized the post's author by saying, 'Don't generalize too quickly.' Other employees said, 'Our department's interns work a lot and do it well, contributing as one of the team. We want to hire them immediately,' and 'It might be worth considering whether the department is failing to utilize them effectively.'
There were also heartfelt comments such as, 'I'm rooting for the interns preparing for employment, telling them to hang in there. Sorry for not being able to support more.' Anyway, this debate is still ongoing.
Why has the issue of youth interns suddenly become noisy in the Ministry of Strategy and Finance? Internships in private companies and public institutions are common, but the fact that it's been less than two years since such a youth internship system was introduced in central government departments is cited as the primary reason. President Yoon Suk-yeol, in Oct. 2022 during the first year of the presidency, ordered, 'Ensure that the opinions of future generations (youth) are faithfully reflected in all policies.' Starting with the Ministry of Employment and Labor in Feb. the following year, central government departments began recruiting youth interns. They operate by employing short-term interns for either three or six months every half-year.
Only last year, the number of youth interns recruited by government departments reportedly reached 1,237. As the system has somewhat settled, a mood of seriously examining the 'effectiveness of the policy' from those who have actually operated it internally seems to be forming. Is it only a voice from the Ministry of Strategy and Finance? Judging by the occasional voices from other departments saying, 'I don't know what our department's youth advisors or youth interns are doing,' it seems this is not the case.
The debate about the effectiveness or supplementary methods of the youth internship program seems to not be something that can be dismissed as a mere anonymous 'conflict' within one department. The government, responsible for this policy, should now take a serious look at the issue. While the appropriateness of treatment is a topic of discussion, the first thing that must be pondered is what these young people gain from this policy and whether it benefits our society.
It seems necessary to pay attention to minor supplementary opinions from current employees, such as supporting only the departments that need interns and hiring only as many as necessary. That is, unless the goal is merely filling an impressive 'number' to boast about in the future.