{"id":55398,"date":"2023-06-16T17:00:48","date_gmt":"2023-06-16T08:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/?p=55398"},"modified":"2024-02-15T19:56:06","modified_gmt":"2024-02-15T10:56:06","slug":"a-deep-dive-into-n-koreas-civil-servant-qualification-assessment-exam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/a-deep-dive-into-n-koreas-civil-servant-qualification-assessment-exam\/","title":{"rendered":"A deep dive into N. Korea’s Civil Servant Qualification Assessment Exam"},"content":{"rendered":"

Civil servants in North Korea are required to take the <\/span>Civil Servant Qualification Assessment Exam<\/span>, but until now little was known about how the exam is prepared, administered, and assessed.<\/span><\/p>\n

As mandated by law, the North Korean government administers the Civil Servant Qualification Assessment Exam to civil servants once every three years to gauge their qualifications and encourage them to upgrade their skill set. The exam is required for officials of all levels at cabinet committees, ministries and agencies of the central government and at agencies at the county, provincial, and metropolitan level.<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a source inside North Korea told Daily NK on Wednesday how the test questions are prepared. \u201cThe Civil Servant Qualification Level Assessment Committee, a non-permanent committee, is staffed with a large number of senior academics six months before the test is given. Following consultation with the Central Committee and eventual approval, the questions are sealed three months before the exam is given,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Depending on their performance on the exam, officials will either have a chance to advance in rank or remain in their current rank. If an official\u2019s score is bad enough, they can even be demoted in rank.<\/span><\/p>\n

North Korea\u2019s civil service has six ranks, with first rank being the highest and sixth rank the lowest. It is not possible to advance more than one rank at a time, the source explained.<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, an official in fifth rank can take the test for fourth rank once every three years. But if they score badly and are demoted to sixth rank, they will have to take the fifth rank test next time, rather than the fourth rank test. Civil servants who cannot go any lower because they are already in the bottom rank can retake the exam in six months.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Civil Servant Qualification Assessment Exam is used to determine whether officials are capable of executing instructions from their superiors. The exam results are an expression of the official\u2019s loyalty to the mission of the Workers’ Party and the state,\u201d the source said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThose who fail the test are passed over in personnel reviews, and those who fail twice or more lose credibility and come to be regarded as being underqualified as a civil servant. This crucial exam is directly linked not only to defending one\u2019s current position but also to promotion, which is important for success in society.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFailing the test is considered a violation of the requirement to repay the party\u2019s kindness with political consciousness and a high degree of technical skill, as elaborated in the Ten Principles [for the Establishment of the One-Ideology System]. For this reason, officials who fail the test inevitably face political criticism.”<\/span><\/p>\n

The test is administered blind, so that proctors do not have access to test takers\u2019 name or current rank.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor the written section of the test, officials have to write a temporary number assigned by the Assessment Committee on their test paper. And in the interview section, they wear a numbered tag in the room to hide their current rank from the proctors,\u201d the source said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Exam questions vary with rank and field but tend to include a mixture of questions about party and state policies related to the official\u2019s current responsibilities and questions designed to assess their expertise.<\/span><\/p>\n

Officials need a grade of 85 or above to pass. The tests are designed to be accessible and not especially difficult, the source said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Test administrators take pains to prevent spread of COVID-19 among test-takers<\/strong><\/p>\n

Relatedly, North Korea appears to be taking great pains to ensure that officials taking the Civil Servant Qualification Assessment Exam are not exposed to COVID-19.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to a North Korean document recently acquired by Daily NK, the State Emergency Anti-epidemic Command ordered local officials in March to take responsibility for giving exam takers and proctors a medical checkup and checking for any contact with infected individuals.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cExam takers who present a fever or any other suspicious symptoms in the checkup should be kept out of the test. Their medical condition should be evaluated and the appropriate anti-epidemic measures taken. They should then be given the test at a later point in the testing period,\u201d the document said.<\/span><\/p>\n

The document mandated the same medical checkup and contact tracing for proctors who are traveling from Pyongyang to the countryside to administer the Civil Servant Qualification Assessment Exam.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIndividuals with fevers or other suspicious symptoms must be kept from traveling around,\u201d the document said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Translated by David Carruth. Edited by Robert Lauler.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Daily NK works with a network of sources who live inside North Korea, China and elsewhere. Their identities remain anonymous due to security concerns. More information about Daily NK\u2019s reporting partner network and information gathering activities can be found on our FAQ page\u00a0here<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.<\/i><\/p>\n

Read in Korean<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Civil servants in North Korea are required to take the Civil Servant Qualification Assessment Exam, but until now little was known about how the exam is prepared, administered, and assessed. As mandated by law, the North Korean government administers the Civil Servant Qualification Assessment Exam to civil servants once every three years to gauge their […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127,"featured_media":50586,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wikipediapreview_detectlinks":true,"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[703,1656],"class_list":["post-55398","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","tag-education","tag-dprk"],"yoast_head":"\nA deep dive into N. 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