Finance ministry adds staff to counter AI and cyber risks

The finance ministry will increase its workforce by one employee to strengthen information protection capabilities, the government said. The addition of a Grade 6 official brings the ministry's total staff count to 778, up from 777.

This change stems from Presidential Decree No. 36631, which revises staffing regulations for 36 government bodies. Officials stated the overhaul is necessary to respond swiftly to rising risks of personal information leaks and cyberattacks driven by the deepening use of artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and platform economies.

Under the new rules, the finance ministry specifically authorized the hiring of one Grade 6 civil servant dedicated to information security tasks. The decree adjusts the ministry's organizational table to reflect this increase, raising the number of general service employees to 770 and those at Grade 3 or below to 733.

Beyond the finance portfolio, the legislation mandates personnel expansions across numerous other agencies. The Ministry of Justice will add three staff members for privacy and security roles, while the Ministry of the Interior and Safety will bring in six new employees. The National Tax Service will see a net increase of five personnel through a combination of new hires and internal transfers, and the Personal Information Protection Commission gains five new positions.

Other beneficiaries include the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which receives one staff member for privacy protection, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, which adds three officials while reassigning one from a subordinate agency. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency will net three new employees split between privacy and security functions, while the Customs Service and the National Police Agency each gain additional personnel to handle sensitive data and cyber defense.