The Korean Public Administration Review (KPAR), which has published quarterly volumes since its establishment in 1967, is the official journal of the Korean Association for Public Administration(KAPA). As a scholarly journal, KPAR not only hold the highest authority in the field of public administration in South Korea, but also in social science. Since the National Research Foundation of Korea began evaluating journals, KPAR has been listed in the Korea Citation Index (KCI) journal index.
A Theoretical Inquiry into Administrative Roles during Democratic Crises: Lessons from the 2024 Martial Law Declaration and Presidential Impeachment in South Korea 민주주의 위기 상황에서 행정의 역할에 관한 고찰: 계엄령과 탄핵 사태를 중심으로
우창빈 ( Woo Changbin ) , 임의영 ( Lim Euy Young )
DOI:10.18333/KPAR.59.2.5 Vol.59(No.2) 5-32, 2025
Abstract
The 2024 declaration of martial law and the subsequent presidential impeachment in South Korea exposed a serious crisis of democracy, while also revealing the public’s robust commitment to democratic values. This paper examines the role of public administration in times of democratic crisis. It first explores four structural drivers of democratic erosion: the executive aggrandizement undermining democratic norms, the rise of political polarization and populism, the emergence of a post-truth information environment, and the deepening of socio-economic inequality. The study then theorizes the role of public administration under democratic distress, drawing on instrumental and institutional perspectives of bureaucracy, as well as republican political philosophy. It further reviews recent research to identify the diverse patterns of bureaucratic behavior in crisis settings. Within this framework, the article analyzes the conduct of civil servants and military officials during the 2024 events. Finally, it proposes concrete measures that public administration can adopt to resist democratic backsliding and fulfill its constitutional responsibility as a guardian of democracy.
Political Polarization, Political Neutrality, and the Politicization of Bureaucracy: Current Status and Challenges of Political Neutrality in the Korean Bureaucracy 정치적 양극화와 정치적 중립성, 그리고 관료제의 정치화: 한국 관료제에서 정치적 중립성의 현 상황과 과제
This study attempted to examine the current state of the norm of political neutrality faced by the Korean bureaucracy in the context of deepening political polarization. The norm of political neutrality contains a conflict that requires obedience to orders from politics on the one hand, while on the other hand, it pursues the value of rejecting based on expertise and soul in such orders. All bureaucrats interviewed in this study believed that they should follow the duty of obedience to orders when their thoughts and the duty to obey orders conflicted, and they actually did. However, the recent appearance of political polarization in Korea has been shown to act as a condition for raising the need to renew the bureaucracy’s response to political orders. This is because obedience to orders, which had been the basis of norms and behaviors, has begun to be defined as an act that must be taken responsibility for when the regime changes. The result has been fear, avoidance of responsibility, and, in a negative sense, deepening politicization. The causal path shown by the response of the Korean bureaucracy to such a situation of political polarization needs to be confirmed and supplemented through future research.
Key Words
정치적 중립성, 정치적 양극화, 관료제의 정치화, political neutrality, political polarization, politicization of bureaucracy
Political Instability and Administrative Stability: Institutional Reflections on Enhancing the Independence of Independent Administrative Agencies 정치적 불안정성과 행정의 안정성: 독립행정기관의 독립성 강화를 위한 제도적 고찰
This paper examines the institutional potential of strengthening the independence of Non-Majoritarian Institutions (NMIs) as a means to safeguard administrative continuity and stability amid intensifying political instability. Using Selin’s (2015) framework of structural independence, the study assesses the current state of autonomy among South Korea’s independent administrative agencies and identifies institutional reforms necessary to enhance both their de facto and policy-level insulation from political influence. NMIs serve as critical mechanisms for ensuring time consistency and policy reliability even in times of political turmoil. Accordingly, this paper considers the design principles and structural adjustments required for these agencies to operate beyond the undue influence of elected officials and to contribute to a resilient administrative order under conditions of sustained political uncertainty.
Administrative Organization Legalism and Governmental Autonomy in Reorganization: Measuring Legislative Autonomy Through the Link Between the Government Organization Act and Jik-je 행정조직법정주의 원칙과 정부조직의 직무범위 개편에 대한 자율성: 「정부조직법」과 「직제」의 연결을 통한 입법 자율성 측정
This study examines the tension between the rule of law, represented by administrative organization legalism, and the administrative autonomy of government agencies in redefining their scope of duties. To address this, it introduces the “Jik-bun Autonomy Index” as a novel measure to quantify the legislative autonomy exercised by Jik-je (i.e., decrees on the organization of each government office) in interpreting and reorganizing the role of each government office based on legislative delegation under the Government Organization Act. Using this index, we calculated the autonomy scores of the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Government Legislation across the administrations from Syngman Rhee to Moon Jae-in (1948-2021). After establishing these scores, we conducted an exploratory analysis to assess how the president’s political relationship influences legislative autonomy. The findings reveal that the political environment―shaped by evolving organizational demands and presidential influence―affects the balance between adherence to administrative legalism and the exercise of legislative autonomy in organizational restructuring. This study is the first to empirically investigate discretionary reorganization within government organizations, introducing a measure of legislative autonomy derived from Jik-je. Ultimately, it provides valuable insights into how government organizations in Korea, a context characterized by strong presidential power, navigate the interplay between legal constraints and managerial discretion.
Political Dynamics of Prosecution Reform and the Adjustment of Investigative Powers Between the Prosecutor and the Police 검찰개혁과 검·경 수사권 조정의 정치적 역학: 거부권 이론을 중심으로
This article discusses the adjustment of investigative powers between the prosecutor and the police from the Kim Dae-jung administration to the Moon Jae-in administration in South Korea based on the theory of veto players. We examined the main factors that influenced the approval of the bill on the adjustment of the prosecutor's and the police's investigative powers as 1) whether the president was willing to pursue it, 2) unified versus divided government, 3) the proportion of former prosecutors in the Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly, and 4) the public opinion in favor of the bill. In addition, we considered the degree of possible refusal (of the bill) by examining whether the previous government's Blue House Chief of Civil Affairs and Minister of Justice were former prosecutors. Our case study analysis shows that, first, even in a unified government, the probability of getting the bill passed was high when the approval rating of the president, who had promised the bill, remained relatively high. Second, the weakening of the network between the Blue House Chief of Civil Affairs, the Minister of Justice, and the National Assembly Judiciary Committee, who were the former prosecutors and strong veto players, positively influenced the passage of the prosecution reform bill. Third, consistently favorable public opinion toward the bill and the president's willingness to pursue it positively influenced the passage of the bill. In addition, the weakening of the prosecution network, which is a combination of interests of the prosecution elite, had a positive impacton the amendment to the investigative power. This indicates that strong opposition from the prosecution network of the Blue House, the Ministry of Justice, and the National Assembly Judiciary Committee resulted in the repeated breakdown of the debate over prosecution reform for over two decades.
Key Words
검·경수사권조정, 거부권 이론, 검찰개혁, veto player, adjustment of the prosecution service’s investigative authority, prosecution reform
Citizen Incivility and Public Employee Burnout: The Moderated Mediation Effects of Perceived Organizational Support 시민무례행동과 일선 공무원의 직무소진: 조직 지원의 조절된 매개효과
While public administration literature has accumulated a significant amount of understanding on the issue of employee burnout, the existing literature has underexplored the psychological mechanisms of public employee burnout, particularly in the context of interactions with the citizenry. To fill the gap in the literature, this study adopts the burnout process model and examines how the two most common types of citizen incivility (i.e., verbal aggression and excessive demands) affect the professional efficacy of public employees as mediated by their emotional burnout. The present research also explores how three different types of organizational support (i.e., informational, instrumental, and emotional support) moderate the mediated relationships. The analysis results of survey data from 519 public employees in Seoul, Korea, suggest that both types of citizen incivility are positively associated with emotional burnout of public employees, which in turn negatively affects their professional efficacy. The results further show that the path connecting citizen incivility to reduced professional efficacy is moderated by perceived organizational support, particularly instrumental support from the organization.
Key Words
시민무례행동, 직무소진, 조직지원, citizen incivility, job burnout, perceived organizational support, burnout process model
This study applies Q methodology to scientifically analyze firefighters’ subjectivity regarding Community Risk Reduction (CRR) and to derive its policy implications. Based on data collected from firefighters in the Busan area, three distinct subjectivity types were identified: the “sustainable risk management-oriented type,” the “efficient planning and risk analysis type,” and the “cost-and-outcome-focused type.” Each type showed differentiated characteristics in terms of risk perception, response strategies, policy priorities, resource utilization, and interaction with the community. These differences were directly linked to the core components of community resilience―namely, information and communication, community competence, and economic resources. Firefighters’ subjectivity was found to be a structural factor that influences not only the acceptance of CRR policies but also the efficiency and effectiveness of their implementation. The findings highlight the necessity of moving beyond a one-size-fits-all approach and establishing tailored policy and implementation strategies based on each subjectivity type. This study contributes to enhancing the field applicability of CRR theory and deepening practical approaches to disaster management policy.
Key Words
커뮤니티 위험 경감(CRR), Q 방법론, 소방공무원, community risk reduction, firefighters, Q methodology
The Impact of Policy Consistency and Transparency on Citizens‘Perceptions of Government Accountability: An Experimental Study 정책 일관성과 투명성이 정부 책임에 대한 시민 인식에 미치는 영향: 실험 연구
This study examines how policy consistency and transparency affect citizens' perceptions of government accountability, using an experiment on single-use plastic regulation decisions. A 2×4 factorial design was employed. Policy consistency (consistent vs. inconsistent) and four transparency types―a simple way to communicate regulatory decisions (simple notification), disclosure of the decision-making process (process transparency), explanation of the rationale for the decision (rational transparency), and a combination of both process and rational transparency (mixed transparency)―were manipulated. The results show that citizens perceived higher government accountability when policies were consistent and transparency was greater. Significant differences emerged among simple notification, process transparency, and mixed transparency conditions. However, under inconsistent policy, even mixed transparency did not enhance accountability perceptions, and no interaction effect between consistency and transparency was observed. Additionally, stakeholder involvement did not moderate the relationship. These findings suggest that, regardless of the level of stakeholder involvement, policy consistency and transparency―both process and rational―play critical roles in shaping perceived government accountability.
Key Words
정책 일관성, 정책 투명성, 정부 책임, 시민 인식, 실험 연구, policy consistency, policy transparency, government accountability, citizen perception, experimental research
The Evolution of Regulatory Policy and the Role of Government: Comparative Case Studies on the Transition Between Government Regulation and Self-Regulation in Korean Game Policy 규제정책의 진화와 정부의 역할: 게임규제 정책에서 정부규제와 자율규제의 전환을 중심으로
As the game industry has emerged as a key pillar of South Korea’s cultural content sector, balancing government intervention with industry autonomy has become an important policy concern. This study analyzes regulatory transitions in Korean game policy based on the premise that government regulation and self-regulation are not perceived as dichotomous concepts, but rather coexist along a regulatory continuum. To explore this dynamic, we propose an analytical framework that categorizes regulatory types into five models, considering legal foundations and the allocation of roles between the state and industry. Applying this framework, the study compares two policy cases: the Game Rating System, which evolved from a government-centered command-and-control model toward increased self-regulatory elements; and the Disclosure of Probability Information for Probabilistic Items, where government regulation came to replace self-regulation due to its limitations. This suggests that even amid transitions between government-centered and self-regulatory models, the government consistently plays a central role in shaping and sustaining regulatory governance.
Key Words
자율규제, 정부규제, 게임산업 규제, 확률형아이템, 게임물 등급분류, self-regulation, government regulation, game policy, game rating system, disclosure of probability information for probabilistic items, loot box probability disclosure
Unlawful Expenditures by Local Governments and the Local Shared Tax Reduction Policy: The Role of Election Cycles and Fiscal Capacity 기초 지방자치단체 법령위반지출과 교부세 감액제도: 선거에 따른 단절과 자체 재정여력을 중심으로
Unlawful expenditures continue to threaten the fiscal integrity of local governments, despite the presence of formal deterrents. These violations, often stemming from inefficient resource allocation, policy misconduct, and self-interested behavior, highlight deeper systemic challenges in fiscal mismanagement. A local shared tax reduction policy was introduced to discourage such practices by imposing financial penalties on noncompliant local governments. However, the continued prevalence of these expenditures raises questions about the effectiveness of existing controls. This study examines the structural factors that perpetuate unlawful expenditures, focusing on the extent to which the perceived benefits of violations outweigh the associated penalties―particularly for elected officials motivated by electoral incentives. Empirical evidence shows that delayed enforcement of sanctions, along with a local government’s fiscal capacity to absorb penalties, significantly influence both the frequency and scale of these violations.