The Korean Bureaucracy - Authority and Policy Formulation Process

Abstract

There are three layers of higher civil servants in the Korean government bureaucracy. There are former Japanese colonial government civil servants of the rank and file level with the legal training background and quickly ascended to higher positions because of the Japanese withdrawal and the Korean War. Most of these men finished their colleges during the Japanese rule. There are also those who are somewhat younger and finished grade schools under the Japanese and colleges after the liberation either in Korea or in Anglo-American countries. A survey shows that 11.7% of the higher civil servants are educated in Anglo-American countries and there is tendency for the percentage to increase as ranks move upward. Those belonging to the last category are ex-military men who entered the higher civil service after the military coup. 14.08% of the higher civil servants had been in the military immediately before joining the civil service and this numer increases as the ranks move upward and 56.12% of the age group of 36 to 40 are ex-military men. 50.4% of all the higher civil servants were born in rural areas and 42.1% had their fathers, occupation in agriculture. Those who had fathers in the professions such as civil service, medical practice, teaching, law, and business management occupy 35.0% of the higher civil servants. Of the 30% who claim to possess religions, around 15% belong to Christianity and the rest is divided between Confucianism and Buddhism.