Fire Agency Overhauls Promotion Review and Personnel Transfer Rules for Public Comment

South Korea’s National Fire Agency has proposed rewriting the rules that decide how the country’s firefighters win promotion and move between agencies, publishing two draft decrees for public comment in the Official Gazette (관보) No. 21357 of 9 November 2026. The drafts, issued by the National Fire Agency Commissioner under Article 41 of the Administrative Procedures Act, implement the amended Fire Officials Act promulgated as Act No. 22069 on 13 October 2026, and the public has until 21 December 2026 to respond.

The parent law, passed by the National Assembly and promulgated by President Lee Jae-myung, creates a legal basis for the state to run integrated promotion reviews across the National Fire Agency and city and provincial fire services, and for a new competency evaluation of candidates for senior posts. Its new Article 6(5) lets the President or the National Fire Agency Commissioner exercise delegated appointment authority directly in three situations: integrated promotion to the ranks of assistant fire chief or fire chief; transfers and secondments of officials at the rank of fire chief or above between the national agency and city and provincial services; and transfers required by staffing adjustments. New Article 14-3 provides the basis for competency evaluations. The Article 6(5) provisions take effect on 14 January 2027, the rest of the law on 14 April 2027.

Central review committee narrowed to assistant fire chief promotions

Notice No. 2026-216 gives notice of a partial amendment to the Fire Officials’ Promotion Appointment Regulations, the decree that sets out how promotion reviews are organised. Under the draft (Articles 19 and 19-2), the remit of the agency’s central promotion review committee is consolidated around promotion reviews for the rank of assistant fire chief (소방준감), the rank immediately below fire chief.

For integrated reviews, city and provincial governors would be required to submit ranked candidate lists, drawing on service records, ability, character and aptitude, limited to no more than three times the number of positions to be filled. The National Fire Agency Commissioner would then select promotion candidates — including those recommended by the governors — and request their appointment, bringing locally recommended officials into a single national pool.

Competency tests split between national and local authorities

The same draft (Article 44) sets out how the new competency evaluation will work, filling in the detail delegated by the amended law:

• Officials at the rank of fire chief (소방정) seeking promotion to assistant fire chief will be assessed by the National Fire Agency Commissioner.
• Officials at the rank of fire marshal (소방령) and below may be assessed by the National Fire Agency or by city and provincial governors.
• Evaluation results are to be used in promotion appointments, posting management and education and training.

Transfers, secondments and exchanges rewritten

Notice No. 2026-217 covers a partial amendment to the Fire Officials Appointment Decree. Under the draft (Article 3), the decree specifies when the President or the National Fire Agency Commissioner may exercise appointment authority directly despite delegation, including transfers and secondments carried out under the amended law, transfers and postings needed for smooth personnel exchange and moves in and out of agencies, long-term education and training secondments, and the selection of fire service attachés posted overseas.

The draft (Article 29) also reorganises personnel exchanges into planned exchanges between the national agency and city and provincial fire services, on the one hand, and among city and provincial services on the other, alongside placements in an official’s home region and moves intended to resolve grievances. It adds preferential treatment for officials who take part in exchanges and a right to return to their original agency.

Comment window runs to 21 December

Both notices set the same deadline of 21 December 2026 for comments, which may be filed online through the National Legislative Participation Centre (opinion.lawmaking.go.kr) or sent in writing to the National Fire Agency Commissioner, stating support or opposition with reasons, the commenter’s name, address and telephone number.

• By post: 13, Jeongbu 2cheongsa-ro, Sejong, Building 17-3, Room 513.
• By email: redeyesun@korea.kr.
• By fax: (044) 205-9111.
• Enquiries: National Fire Agency Operations Support Division, (044) 205-7048.

The two drafts matter because they change who decides on the most senior promotions in a service where advancement has been split between national and local appointing authorities. If adopted, promotion to assistant fire chief would be judged against a single national standard and a competency test, while rank-and-file firefighters would gain clearer, codified routes for transfers, secondments and region-based placement — with the practical effects to be settled before the enabling law takes effect in January and April 2027.

Source: Official Gazette of the Republic of Korea (관보), No. 21357, 9 November 2026, Notices (공고), pp. 137-138 (official references: 소방청공고 제2026-216호, 소방청공고 제2026-217호).