I examined the relationship between emotional labor and organizational commitment with 208 South Korean public service employees and used structural equation modeling to analyze the data. The results indicated that deep acting was positively associated with the 3 components of organizational
commitment, namely, identification, affiliation, and exchange, and the identification commitment component in particular. However, no significant relationship was found between surface acting and the 3 components of organizational commitment. Thus, South Korean public service employees with
a strong sense of organizational identity and who feel valued by their organization may generate positive emotions and engage in deep acting, leading to a high level of organizational commitment.
