Local governments, according to Article 117 of the Constitution, "shall deal with matters pertaining to the well-being of local residents, shall manage properties, and may establish their own rules and regulations regarding local autonomy as delegated by national laws and decrees." ("local government" here refers broadly to administrations at the provincial as well as municipal levels.) This constitutional provision, however, remained largely unfulfilled until July 1995, when the nation elected, for the first time in more than 30 years, governors and mayors for provincial and local governments. Until then local governments were no more than local administrative districts of the central government. The heads of local governments (in effect, solely administrative authorities) were appointed by the central government, and their capacity for autonomous decision-making was virtually nonexistent.
Highly centralized governments have been a strong tradition in Korea, extending back more than six hundred years to the establishment of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). Thus, even with the advent of decentralization and popularly-elected local governments, a long road lies ahead before local autonomy is achieved to a degree and extent practiced today in most advanced societies.
The second comprehensive local elections were held on June 4, 1998, three years after the first elections in 1995. Beginning with the 1998 elections, local elections take place every four years.
The functions of the elected local government CEOs, according to law, include the following: any functions delegated by the central government; management of public properties and facilities; assessment and collection of local taxes and fees; provision of services and goods to residents; and management of other administrative affairs. Each of the local governments has a Board of Education for handling education and cultural matters within its jurisdictions. Local councils are also authorized to inspect and audit local governments.
Administrative SystemCurrently, there are 16 provincial-level governments, and 235 lower-level local governments (hereafter, municipal governments), including 72
si (city) governments, 94
gun (county) governments, and 69
gu (autonomous district) governments within the provincial-level metropolitan cities. Provincial governments, although they have to some extent their own functions, basically serve as an intermediary between the central and municipal governments. Thus, their administrative systems are smaller versions of the central government's. In fact, administrative units generally match one-to-one with the central government's ministries and agencies, so that policies and programs directed by a specific central agency can be handled by a corresponding unit in the provincial government. The administrative systems within municipal governments are similar to those of the provincial governments. Thus, the administrative systems of all levels of governments, including even those of the non-autonomous administrative districts beneath municipal governments, can be characterized in two words: uniform and comprehensive.
Municipal governments deliver services to the residents through an administrative district system. This system consists of what are called
eup and
myeon
in the
gun government (counties) and
dong in the
gu government
under si government (cities). Each municipal government has several of these
districts which serve as field offices for handling the needs of their constituents.
Their population ranges from about 5,000 to 20,000 residents depending on the
size of jurisdiction areas. District offices are engaged mainly in routine and
simple administrative and social service functions. Unusual and complex matters
are dealt with directly by the municipal governments. Some essential functions,
like public safety, road signs, fire protection and public schools are handled
directly by central or provincial governments through their own field offices;
and some other functions like public health services are handled directly by
the municipal government through separate delivery systems.
Local public service members account for about 35 percent of total government
employees as of year 2000. This is a slight increase from the figure of 1998,
which was about 32 percent of total government employees. In terms of their
personnel and budget, the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs
(MOGAHA) performs primary supervision and controlling functions. Personnel systems,
including classification, recruitment, promotion, and remuneration, are all
the same as those of the central government. Every policy determined by the
central government applies uniformly nationwide.
Intergovernmental Relations
Local governments depend heavily on the central government for decisions and
funding for their roles and functions, organization and personnel, and budgets.
Their main function is to implement centrally determined policies and programs
as directed and guided by central government ministries and agencies. Local
governments do not have their own judicial, prosecution, police, or education
systems. These systems belong to, and are operated exclusively by, the central
government.
On the organization and personnel side, deputy CEOs are, by law, dispatched
by the central government (by the Ministry of Government Administration and
Home Affairs). It is these deputies that hold the authority to control all administrative
matters of local governments. Any major changes in organization or manpower
structure are subject to approval by the higher level of government. In other
words, the central government must approve changes in the provincial government,
and the provincial government must approve changes in the municipal government.
All policies governing personnel, including recruitment, promotion, performance
evaluation, work conditions, and remuneration, are centrally established in
a uniform fashion so that no variation may exist.
Financially, local governments still rely heavily on the central government.
This is owing to several reasons, including a lack of balance in the distribution
of revenue sources between the central and local governments and more fundamentally,
the poor tax base in many of the local governments.
Reform Efforts
Issues regarding local governments have been one of the major areas of reform
and this trend will continue in years to come. Improvement measures, to be initiated
by the central government, will likely include the following: the downsizing
of administrative units, local public enterprises, and other organizations financially
supported by the local government through manpower reduction and restructuring
and the introduction of efficient management systems.
According to a reform plan drafted by the Ministry of Government Administration
and Home Affairs, the municipal governments' administrative district offices
(
eup,
myeon, and
dong) will be substantially reduced in
number and converted into regional service centers. An electronic resident registration
card system will soon be introduced, replacing the current paper-based document
systems and the management of government-operated sewage treatment plants, cultural
centers, and sports facilities will be contracted out to the private sector.
A substantial proportion of the work performed by unskilled administrative and
clerical support personnel, manual laborers, security guards, garbage collectors, street sweepers, and road repair workers will be reduced or contracted out. All these measures will result in an estimated reduction of 87,000 employees, or 30 percent of all local government workers nationwide. In addition, local public enterprises will also be forced to reduce their staffs.
Besides these organizational and manpower downsizing measures, the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs is planning to introduce an array of new performance management systems. Aimed at eliminating inefficiencies in local government offices, the new performance management system will be implemented. Under this plan, more specialists will be recruited on contract basis instead of annual examinations.
Related Sites
