The National Personnel Authority was established in 1948 pursuant to the principles of the National Public Service Law, as the central personnel administrative agency to assure the people of the democratic and efficient operation of national government administration.

The mission of the National Personnel Authority is to ensure fair management of public personnel administration, to protect employees' interests as a compensation to offset certain restrictions of basic labor rights, and to promote measures that accurately respond to the general social conditions and ensure efficient operation of administration that can be trusted by the people. Toward that end, the Authority has the recognized status of an administrative organization that is highly independent from the government, which is the employer of national public employees, despite being placed under the jurisdiction of the Cabinet.