Twelve fixed-term civil servants have left the Korea AeroSpace Administration so far this year, according to data submitted to the National Assembly.
Data obtained by Rep. Kim Sun-min of the Rebuilding Korea Party, a member of the National Assembly's Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee, showed that one fixed-term employee left in 2024, the year the agency opened, followed by four in 2025 and 12 in 2026. The number of mid-term departures this year is three times the annual total for last year. Among all 17 who left before completing their terms, five had served less than one year, 11 between one and two years, and one more than two years.
The agency relies more heavily on fixed-term appointments than other government bodies as it works to secure specialists in space technology. Of its 280 employees, including those at affiliated organizations, 133, or 47.5%, are fixed-term civil servants. Because these staff are covered by special pay provisions, analysts say factors other than compensation also influenced their decisions to leave.
That has prompted calls for the agency to review and improve working conditions so that specialists can settle in for the long term. "The agency needs to analyze in concrete terms the factors that can drive departures, including not only pay but also job authority and assignments, organizational culture and working conditions," Kim said. "It should put in place a system to identify the causes of attrition through exit interviews and regular reviews of working conditions, and to reflect those findings in measures to retain specialists."