Discover Korea in Public Administration

Insight into public administration

Cover page

By Lee Tae-hoon (leeth@koreatimes.co.k)/ THE KOREA TIMES





One of the most intriguing and inspirational stories about Korea is its successful transformation and development from ruins to a global economic powerhouse with a vibrant democracy in just half a century.



What is, however, often overlooked or underappreciated is the role that the country’s public administration and elite bureaucrats contributed to the “Miracle on the Han River.”

The book, “Discover Korea in Public Administration,” is a long-awaited guide for scholars and students, as well as the leadership and administrators of development countries who want to identify with the roots and the role of Korean public administration.



It sheds new light on the role that public administration played in national development and seeks to answer how its mechanisms worked to make the war-ravaged country the epitome of a rags-to-riches story.

“This book is an outstanding and important piece of work, and it’s easily readable,” said Ahn Byeong-man, minister of the presidential advisory council on education, science and technology. “The clean sheet, research approach to Korean public administration is as important for the bureaucratic elite as it is essential to scholars and students engaged in public administration.”

It is divided into five chapters: “Dynamism of Public Administration in Korea,” “A Glimpse into Korean Policies,” “Prime Movers,” “New Demands and Challenges,” and “Future of Public Administration.”

This book serves as a compass to understanding Korean administration and an invaluable resource at a time when uncertainty continues to ripple through the global economy and many countries remain trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty and underdevelopment.

It is a must read for those who want to discover what lies beneath Korea’s outstanding achievement.

“The book extends a vision of success and a road map for other countries to follow by capitalizing on countless trial-and-error experiences Korea underwent in the course of achieving a thriving economy and democratization,” said Park Chin-keun, CEO and chairman of the National Research Council for Economics, Humanities and Social Sciences.

The 536-page book, written in English, was published on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Korea Institute of Public Administration, a flagship state-run think tank under the Prime Minister’s Office.