Public Official Appeal Review Deadline of 30 Days — How to Count from the Day You Receive the Statement of Reasons

Procedure

1. 1. Confirm the receipt date and calculate the deadline

   For disciplinary action, demotion, leave of absence, removal from position and dismissal, the starting point is the day you received the statement of reasons; for other adverse dispositions against your will, it is the day you learned of the disposition. The day of receipt is excluded, the next day counts as day 1, and day 30 is the deadline; if that day is a Saturday or public holiday, the period expires on the following day. If you actually received the statement later than the date written on it, attach materials showing the delayed receipt to the petition.

2. 2. Identify the competent Appeals Commission

   National public officials belonging to administrative agencies are reviewed by the Appeals Commission of the Ministry of Personnel Management, and officials of the National Assembly, courts, Constitutional Court and election commissions by the appeals commission established in each institution. Officials of local governments file with the local appeals commission or education appeals commission set up in the city or province for each appointing authority. A petition filed with a commission lacking jurisdiction is transferred to the competent commission, and the petitioner is notified.

3. 3. Obtain the disposition records and organize the issues

   Obtain records such as the disciplinary resolution, the request for disciplinary resolution and the disciplinary committee minutes through an inspection request or an information disclosure request, and compare the stated grounds with the actual facts. Separate the arguments into factual disputes, procedural defects and excessive severity, and gather mitigating materials such as commendations and service history.

4. 4. Prepare and submit the appeal petition

   The petition states your address, name, resident registration number and telephone number, your agency and position, the respondent, the purpose of the appeal, and the grounds and means of proof. If the petition has defects, the commission requests correction within 7 days of receipt with a set period, and if it is not corrected within that period, the petition is deemed withdrawn. If the deadline is close, submit the petition first and add evidence later together with a supplementary brief.

5. 5. Hearing date and decision

   The commission decides within 60 days of receiving the petition and may extend this by 30 days by resolution when unavoidable. When notified of the hearing date, you may attend and make statements, or state your opinion in writing if you do not attend. In an appeal against disciplinary action, the commission cannot decide on a heavier penalty than the original one, and the decision is issued as a written decision stating its reasons.

Required documents

• Appeal review petition (contents under Article 2(1) of the Regulations on Appeal Procedures, no statutory form)
• Copy of the statement of reasons for disposition or personnel order notice
• Materials showing the date of receipt of the statement (proof of delayed receipt, if applicable)
• Copies of the disciplinary resolution and request for disciplinary resolution (for disciplinary action)
• Disciplinary committee minutes and investigation records (obtained through inspection or information disclosure request)
• Statements, confirmations and work records supporting the facts
• Merit records, commendations and performance evaluation materials (when seeking mitigation)
• Copy of the disciplinary surcharge notice (when also contesting the surcharge)

Fees

Typically in the range of several hundred thousand won in the industry · We will quote after consultation based on the type of disposition (discipline, removal from position, dismissal, etc.), the volume of records, and whether a supplementary brief is needed. Actual costs such as information disclosure fees are separate.

See fees and official charges for this service →

Legal basis and review date

• State Public Officials Act, Article 9
• State Public Officials Act, Article 14
• State Public Officials Act, Article 16
• State Public Officials Act, Article 75
• State Public Officials Act, Article 76
• Regulations on Appeal Procedures, Article 2
• Regulations on Appeal Procedures, Article 3
• Regulations on Appeal Procedures, Article 6
• Regulations on Appeal Procedures, Article 10
• Local Public Officials Act, Article 13
• Local Public Officials Act, Article 20-2
• Local Public Officials Act, Article 67
• Civil Act, Article 157
• Civil Act, Article 161
• Regulations on Holidays of Government Offices, Article 2
• Certified Administrative Agents Act, Article 2

Checked against the statutes on 2026-10-16

Statutes and public notices change, so each case needs to be checked individually. Statute titles are given in English for reference. The Korean statutes are the authoritative text.

Check these first

• Because the 30-day deadline runs from the day you received the statement, keep registered mail receipt records or electronic document receipt records, and if the deadline is near, file the petition first even if not all evidence has been gathered.
• For dismissal, discharge and certain ex officio dismissals, filling the position with a successor is restricted for 40 days from the disposition date, and the commission may issue a provisional decision within 5 days of receiving the petition to suspend the successor appointment, so file such appeals as early as possible.

Frequently asked questions