What is the NHRDB?

• The NHRDB is the government’s public human resources management system that collects and manages data on candidates for public office to enable the government to appoint the right talent to key positions using reliable information.
• Information on people in various areas of expertise, including those working in academia, corporations, economic and legal institutions, and non-profit organizations, is registered in the NHRDB.

  People registered in the NHRDB

  [Legal grounds] Article 19-3 of the State Public Officials Act, the Regulations on the Collection and Management of Information on Candidates for Public Officials, Etc. (Presidential Decree), and the Guidelines on the National Human Resources Database (MPM Rule)

  • Heads and senior management of public agencies
  • Members of committees at administrative agencies
  • Civil servants of Grade 5 or above(state or local) or equivalent
  • Professors (assistant professors or above), researchers at research institutions and Ph.D. holders
  • Executive officers of a member company of a business group subject to cross-holding limitations and mid-size businesses; management of potential SMEs
  • Executive officers (or above) of major associations and organizations
  • Licensed professionals including lawyers, doctors, architects, certified public accountants, certified public labor attorneys, etc.
  • Technicians, master craftspeople, skilled technicians, skilled technology inheritors, etc.
  • Recipients of awards at major domestic and international competitions in the areas of culture, art, and sports; recipients of the Orders of Merit or Medals of Honor
  • Persons with 7+ years of experience in civic organizations, international organizations, etc.
  • Young talent and foreigners who participated in international cooperation projects and meet the equivalent eligibility criteria
  • Persons who have made remarkable achievements in their respective areas of expertise, enhancing the country’s national prestige
  • Other people the Minister of Personnel Management deems necessary for inclusion in the NHRDB

  User organizations

  • Central administrative agencies
  • Local governments
  • Public agencies
  • Local public enterprises
  • Local government-funded institutions

  Public positions filled using the NHRDB

  • Civil servants in political service (excluding elected positions)
  • Positions for which candidates are recruited via the open competitive position system or public recruitment
  • Heads of executive agencies
  • Heads and senior management of public agencies
  • Members of various selection and review committees and candidate recommendation committees
  • Members of examination committees at each organization
  • Members of the committees at administrative agencies and local governments, etc.

  ※ As of December 2025, 388,456 people are registered in the NHRDB..