KJC Korea
Journal Central

The purpose of this paper is to point out that securing legitimacy of the government organizations was an important goal of Kim Daejung government's administrative reform in the late 1990s. From the neo-institutional isomorphic perspective, this paper examines the reasons for which the Kim Daejung government's introduced the so-called New Public Administration-based administrative reform programs in the middle of economic crisis. Result of analysis shows that the neo-institutional isomorphism explains well the reasons of the Kim Daejung government's administrative reform. While reform pressure from the international organizations such as IMF which provided funds, and criticism and pain-sharing demands from the society caused coercive isomorphic change, environmental uncertainty, lack of core technology, mismatch between the mission and the functions in government organizations caused mimetic isomorphic change on the other hand. Kim Daejung government was successful in securing the legitimacy of government organizations by adopting the minimalist state-oriented government reform strategy. However, improving efficiency of government administration as an another goal of administrative reform achieved limited success because the NPM-based reform programs were implemented without fulfilling preconditions for those.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the organizational learning methods that contribute to increasing effective disaster management skills. This study compared and analyzed the organizational learning process of two incidents: the Sea Prince oil spill in 1995 and the Hebei Spirit oil spill in 2007. Five organizational learning factors--shared vision, institutional improvement, leadership, systematic thinking, and knowledge creation were reviewed. The results indicate that shared vision, institutional improvement, and knowledge creation has gradually enhanced after the occurrence of the Sea Prince oil spill. Due to doubts about the effectiveness of newly adopted policies, institutions, and programs increase the capacity of shared vision, institutional improvement, and knowledge creation, however, it is difficult to assert that virtual development has been made; leadership and systematic thinking were both insufficiently dealt with in either case. Consequently, disaster management on the Hebei Spirit accident failed to learn anything from the former Sea Prince incident where there was rather a ‘non-learning' attitude towards the issue. The lack of safety awareness, ineffective leadership, absence of systematic thinking, sketchy education, weak information infrastructure, and the inflexible organization structure are obstacles to an effective organizational learning process for better serving disaster management skills. These elements should be eradicated in such a way to help create an environment for adequate organizational learning.

The purpose of this study is to analyze the problems of resistance through innovation in the local government. The results showed that amount of affairs and cynicism appear to be the major factor affecting innovation resistance. However, no significant impacts were found in procedural complexity, relationship of agencies and a status anxiety. This study recommends that government innovation is in need of leadership, performance rating and open of information during administrative innovation. Thus, it searched a point that the resistance factors of administrative innovation originate to amount of affairs and cynicism in bureaucratic organization. Finally, this paper is full of suggestion on importance of resistance management through innovation. In spite of such possibilities this study is a basic discussion on limits of research methods.

This study aims to analyze the history of cultural administration over the last sixty years and to find out the challenges of the future cultural administration. For this purpose, this study suggests two research questions. First, what are the main differences in values and goals that each administration tried to seek? Second, at the level of the central government, how those values and goals are reflected into the organizational structure and budget, law and institution, and key programs related to the cultural administration? The main findings of this study can be summarized from the perspective of values and goals, organizational structure, law and institution, and key programs. To begin with, the cultural administration from the Rhee to the Chun administration might be characterized as a government-driven administration and utilized as a tool of the enlightenment of the nation. Second, the Rho Tae Woo administration established the Ministry of Culture charged with only the cultural administration and emphasized the development of pure culture and arts. Third, the Kim Young Sam administration called the civil government tried to focus on the cultural industry as a viable alternative to enhancing the competitiveness of the nation. Fourth, the Kim Dae Jung administration greatly contributed to increasing the cultural budget which accounts for 1% of the total budget of nation for the first time since the liberation. Finally, the Rho administration shifted the cultural paradigm from the provider-oriented to the consumer-oriented system which resulted in the reinforcement of partnership among the public vs private sector, the central vs local government, and the NGO.

According to Article 11 of Local Finance Act, the heads of local governments may issue bonds when their issuance becomes a long-standing benefit to their local governments and there is a need for urgent accident restoration, etc. Where the heads of local governments intend to issue the local government bond, they shall issue them within the amount limit for local governments bonds, set by the Presidential Decree, taking into account of the financial situation, the amount of liabilities, etc. Outstanding local government borrowing, the debts of local governments, amounted approximately 17.4 trillion Won at the end of 2006. The size of local debts has not changed in recent years because of the strong control of local borrowings by the central government. In this backgrounds, the purpose of this study is to study on the effect analysis and development strategies of the Local Bond System in Korea. To the attainment of research purpose, we are reviewed theoretical background and investigated empirical data. With the results of empirical analysis, we are suggested development strategies.

This paper aims to study theoretical controversies on secondary education system from a perspective of classical liberalism. The Korean education is characterized by nationalization and equalization, which means no right for parents to choose schools for their children. This paper discusses pros and cons of public education system in terms of administrative values such as efficiency, equity and accountability. In terms of efficiency, equity and accountability, from a perspective of classical liberalism, the current education system does not deliver what it promises. It should be reformed in the direction of increased choice of the parents and the increased autonomy of schools.

This paper is a study about the multi-cultural society of Korea with the Castles & Miller(2003)'s policy strategy models. Castles & Miller proposed three models which are the differential exclusionary model, assimilationist model, and multicultural or pluralist model as the national management strategy for the multi-cultural society. The differential exclusionary model allows to the immigrants can approach to the labor market, while not allows to the welfare system and citizen's rights. The assimilationist model is the one-sided integration strategy that the immigrant groups expected to be changed like existing society's people. And pluralist model allows the immigrant's native cultural identity without any interventions. The target groups in this study are foreign wives and labors in Korea. In result, Korea government using assimilationist model for foreign wives from beginning to now, and differential exclusionary model and informal pluralist model for foreign labors. The foreign labors are being allowed approach to the labor market and legal minimum wages, but not allowed citizenship. And It's the informal pluralist model that they forms a large group, have independent culture, for example a language of their own, a food, and broadcasting, but Korea government have not taken any measures for them officially.

This paper deals with loophole problems focusing on non-active contributors (Article 91 of the National Pension Act, related to the Exceptions of Contribution payment) in the National Pension Services. Most researchers insist that this issue should be solved through the revision of the National Pension Act. However, it is difficult to revise the Act because it takes long time and the revision of the Act will bring many kinds of argument, reflecting on the previous experience. Instead, this paper argues that this issue should be solved through pension administration. Based on this perspective, this paper suggests three kinds of solution: the income-continuity through Human Network, the income-continuity by the state, and the effort to increase the participant-friendliness of the National Pension. The suggestion for the income-continuity through Human Network includes sponsor system and family-pooling system. The suggestion for the income-continuity by the state includes the workplace-finding support, the relatedness of the National Pension and National Insurance, the unemployment-suffering share, and the Tax-indexed support. The effort to increase the participant-friendliness of the National Pension includes the contribution-support system and the short-term benefit system.