DECENTRALIZATION AND E-GOVERNMENT IN KOREA

Abstract

This paper examines government reform including decentralization and e-government services in Korea since 1990s. Since the full-scale implementation of local autonomy in Kim Young-sam Administration, Kim Dae-jung Administration, inaugurated in February 1998 just after financial crisis, launched an intensive reform program covering finance, corporate, labor, and public sectors. Among main reform strategies introduced according to New Public Management paradigm were reshuffling local governments, manpower reduction, delegation of central government's functions and resources, paperwork reduction, and so forth. In addition, e-government services were initiated as one of software-oriented reform strategies. In spite of some arguments, Kim Administration gained the performance of e-government as well as government reforms to a considerable degree. Roh Administration, taking office in February 2003, also made public the Roadmap to Government Innovation including decentralization and e-government. It is expected to contribute much to enhancing efficient and effective operation of local governments. Government reform, however, may confront with a contradiction between decentralization of central power and centralized e-government. Seamless integration of works and processes at all levels of government requires cross-agency collaboration and coordination carefully coupled from the central government. In order to mitigate this contradiction, it is recommended to develop a proper reference model for business and technology, which can be applied flexibly to the central and local government all together.