If you plan to sit the 2027 national civil service Grade 9 open competition exam and you receive basic livelihood benefits or single-parent family support, there is a change you should check this year. On October 8 the Ministry of Personnel Management published a guide titled "Low-Income Separate Recruitment Changes From 2027." It adds youths whose protection period was extended and youths who have left child care protection to the eligible groups, and it shortens the required period of eligibility from two years to one year. This article follows Articles 2 and 20-4 of the Public Officials Appointment Examination Decree and the 2026 national civil service recruitment plan notice, and explains what is changing, how the period is calculated now, and how the pass line differs.

Low-income separate recruitment sets aside part of the planned hires

Article 20-4, paragraph 1 of the Decree requires the examination authority to run Grade 9 open competition exams so that people in the low-income group can be hired for at least 2 percent of the planned number, and Grade 9 career-based competition exams and similar for at least 1 percent. This is why each recruitment unit lists general, disability and low-income numbers separately. In the Grade 9 table of the 2026 plan notice (3,802 in total), adding up the low-income cells myself gives about 115, roughly 3 percent. The numbers change with each exam, so check the table in the notice for the year you apply.

Two things change from 2027: more eligible groups and a shorter period

First, until now only basic livelihood recipients and single-parent family support recipients could apply, but youths whose protection period was extended and youths who have left child care protection are being added. Second, the period of being a recipient or supported person drops from two continuous years to one year. According to the ministry's explanation, a candidate who has been a recipient for one year and six months cannot apply under current rules but can from 2027. The addenda to the Decree amendment put this part (Article 2, paragraphs 1 and 2) into force on January 1, 2027, and exams already under way on that date follow the old rules. In other words, it applies to next year's exam, not this year's.

Until now it has been two unbroken years, counted from the date of application

This is the 2026 notice's standard. The person must be a recipient under the National Basic Living Security Act (at least one of the living, housing, education or medical benefits) or a supported person under the Single-Parent Family Support Act for a period that runs continuously for at least two years up to the application date or the application deadline, and the period is counted from the date you applied for the benefit or support. Recipient and supported-person periods can be combined if there is no gap, and time spent in military service or as an exchange student counts as continuous if the head of household stayed a recipient throughout. However, you must apply or be determined eligible again within two months after returning, and exchange students must document their time abroad. The two years become one in 2027, but the details of how the period is calculated will be set by the implementation plan notice.

The two new groups are defined by the Child Welfare Act

The Decree lists people whose protection period was extended under Article 16-3 of the Child Welfare Act, and independence support recipients under Article 38, paragraph 2, items 3 and 4, as people in the low-income group. Article 16-3 lets a child under protection who turns 18 extend the protection period until age 25 if they wish. Item 3 of Article 38, paragraph 2 covers people whose protection ended or who left a facility less than five years ago, and item 4 covers people whose protection ended before age 18 and whom the Minister of Health and Welfare recognizes as needing independence support. How the period requirement applies to them and what documents prove it have not been announced yet. The ministry also says the specific eligibility and documents should be checked in the 2027 Grade 9 implementation plan notice.

The separate pass line is its own, but scoring above the general line lets you pass beyond the quota

Article 20-4, paragraph 2 says that where the exam is split for the low-income group, a low-income applicant who scores at or above the score of those who passed the general track may be passed even beyond the planned number. So the separate recruitment is not limited to the 2 percent quota. Whether your score reaches the general pass line depends on how competitive the series is, and our article on competition ratios by series looked at real figures showing how much the ratio changes when you switch series. Bonus points are separate from this track and have a short registration window, so please also read our article on registering bonus points.

Eligibility is checked after you pass the written exam, and certificates are needed if it cannot be confirmed

According to the 2026 notice, eligibility for low-income separate recruitment is checked directly by the ministry for written exam passers under Article 34 of the Decree. If it cannot be confirmed, you must submit a recipient certificate that states the benefit period, or a single-parent family certificate that states the support period, issued by the mayor, county head or district head of your registered address. The certificate is issued when you or a household member visit the office in person, and the notice advises you to phone the basic livelihood or single-parent family department first. If you rush after the written results are announced you may run out of time, so it is better to check in advance where your period starts. The step of checking disqualifications after passing is covered in our article on disqualification grounds.

Summary: if you are thinking of applying in 2027

First, work out which group you belong to. If you are a recipient or single-parent family support recipient, check the date you applied for the benefit or support. If you are a youth with an extended protection period or one who has left child care protection, check the date you left the facility or your protection ended. Second, when the 2027 implementation plan notice is published, check how the eligible period is calculated and which documents to submit in that notice. Third, under Article 35, paragraph 3 of the Decree this group can also have the application fee waived, which our article on the fee waiver covers, so prepare the waiver documents together before you apply. This article explains the system and does not replace an individual eligibility decision. For exact eligibility, check the notice of the Ministry of Personnel Management's Balanced Personnel Division or the national civil service recruitment system (gongmuwon.gosi.kr).