官

It is an ideogrammatic compound, combining: 宀 (house/roof) and 阜 (hill/mound), symbolizing a government office or seat of administration.

Usage in Korean Government Job Titles:

In Korean civil service ranks, the character 관 (官) appears in higher-level titles such as:

장관 – Minister;

차관 – Vice Minister;

1급 공무원 (관리관) – Senior Administrator;

이사관 (2급) – Director General;

부이사관 (3급) – Deputy Director General;

서기관 (4급) – Senior Officer;

사무관 (5급) – Administrative Officer.

But from 6th grade downward, the term 관 is generally not used in job titles:

행정주사 (6급);

행정주사보 (7급);

행정서기 (8급);

행정서기보 (9급).

Usage in the South Korean Military:

In the Army, 관 is used in the titles of non-commissioned officers (NCOs), e.g.:

행정관 – Admin NCO;

수송관 – Transport NCO;

Meanwhile, officers are typically referred to by rank and name (e.g., 김 대위 / Captain Kim), and their roles use different terms like 지휘관 (commander) or 과장 (section chief), not usually “~관.”

Officers may, however, be broadly referred to as 사관 (officer).

In the Navy, the usage is opposite:

Officers hold titles like 통신관 (Communications Officer), 작전관 (Operations Officer), 무장관 (Weapons Officer), etc.

NCOs use the suffix 장 instead, such as 갑판장 (Deck Chief), 행정장 (Admin Chief).

In the Air Force, titles like 부대장 (unit commander), 부서장 (section chief), or 감독관 (supervisor) are used.

Most positions are referred to by task (e.g., 00담당 – in charge of 00), and it is customary to call personnel by rank and name, not by title.

Calling someone “00담당님” is often considered awkward or inappropriate in Air Force culture.