In the past three years leading up to 2023, it has been revealed that there were an average of over 40,000 illegal acts each year against civil servants, including verbal abuse and threats. Based on 2023, excluding holidays, this calculates to an average of 151 illegal acts occurring daily against civil servants.
On the 23rd, the National Assembly Research Service noted this in a recently published report titled 'Eradication of Malicious Civil Complaints and Effective Measures to Strengthen Protection for Civil Servants.'
Illegal acts against civil servants have been consistently occurring. According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, there were 51,883 cases in 2021, 41,559 cases in 2022, and 37,665 cases in 2023.
The most common illegal acts against civil servants were verbal abuse and threats, accounting for 88% of overall illegal acts in 2023. Previously, the proportion was 87% in 2022 and 77% in 2021. Other illegal acts include threats, assaults, sexual harassment, and property damage.
The National Assembly Research Service revealed that although thousands of illegal acts against civil servants occur each year, the response measures are very passive. The rate of civil servants who faced illegal acts and took action such as reporting or filing lawsuits was shown to be only around 1%. In 2021, it was 1.54% (801 cases), in 2022, 1.65% (685 cases), and in 2023, 1.36% (515 cases).
In response, the National Assembly Research Service indicated that there should be discussions on clearly defining malicious complaints and establishing provisions for penalties or fines in the case of violations. It also stated that regulations should be established to support expenses related to lawsuits for civil servants who have suffered from illegal acts.
The National Assembly Research Service stated, "Malicious complaints can cause not only physical and mental harm to public servants but also deteriorate the quality of public services," and emphasized that there is a need for institutional efforts to prevent this and protect civil servants, requiring a societal shift to recognize malicious complaints as crimes.