A Critical Review on The Administrative Reforms in The Korean Central Government: A Case Study of The Kim Dae-Jung Administration

Since central government reforms form a substantial part of the overall reform efforts, this paper critically evaluates the administrative reforms of the Korean central government implemented by the Kim Dae-jung Administration from the time of his inauguration in 1998 until February 2001. The paper is composed of four parts: 1) identification of the major reform measures, 2) evaluation of the reform logic, 3) evaluation of the major reform measures, and 4) evaluation of the major reform processes and steps. Although it appears that the administrative restructuring by the Kim Dae-jung Administration has been based on neo-liberalism, it is debatable whether the administrative reforms of Kim Dae-jung’s administration truly captured the ideas of neo-liberalism. Contrary to what might be expected, the administrative reforms of Kim Dae-jung’s administration were mainly based on development-centered administrative principles combined with populism and political rhetoric. As a consequence, the reforms lost consistency and floundered. The reform agenda was monopolized by the Office of Government Reform (OGR) or some similar organizations (committees) and implemented in a top-down manner. The Korean government has implemented about fifty structural reforms at the central level up to now. Despite all these reforms, the Korean government is still criticized for rigidity and under-performance. Therefore, now is the time to realize that structural reforms are not the goal of administrative reforms but a tool to enhance the performance of the government. One of the most important functions of the government is to build up the system to consistently implement administrative reforms.