South Korea: Drug Test For Successful Civil Service Applicants Before Appointment

SEOUL, June 9 (Bernama-Yonhap) -- Successful civil service applicants in South Korea will be required to undergo a drug test before their official appointments, Yonhap News Agency reported citing Ministry of Personnel Management on Tuesday.

The Cabinet approved a revision of related regulations Tuesday to add a drug test to the physical examination required of those who pass exams for general civil service and foreign service positions, according to the ministry.

The pre-appointment drug test is already in place for police and firefighter positions.

Six kinds of narcotics, including methamphetamine, cannabis, opium and cocaine, will be screened in the physical examination and only those who are cleared in the drug test can be appointed as civil servants.

The revision takes effect one week after the Cabinet approval.

"Drugs have infiltrated our daily lives and we take it as a serious social problem," said Choe Dong-seok, head of the personnel ministry.

"We will continue to improve measures aimed at preventing drugs from spreading into the civil service so as to build a trustworthy public service."

-- BERNAMA-YONHAP