A Tale of Two Government Reforms in Korea

Abstract

This paper evaluates and compares the government reforms of current Roh government and the previous administration based on 7 success factors of a government reform. The Roh administration is doing a better job than the Kim administration in such areas as preparation for a reform, periodical examinations and evaluation, and change management. However, the Roh administration shows relative weaknesses in creating an effective reform-leading organization, providing a balanced reform direction, and in overcoming resistance. This paper also suggests five important features of a successful reform-leading organization: full-time and permanent organization, organization directly under the President, focus on reform, flexibility in organizational management, and a combination of career civil servants and specialists from the non-government sector.